Video Game History - Arcade, Consoles, and Home Computers

The objective of this page is to document the evolution of video game concepts in the public eye.

Notable exclusions are arcade prototypes, mainframe games, and text-based computer games.

Links include YouTube videos, Wikipedia articles, and Arcade Museum entries.

Hover over each link for information about a game or system.

Pre-Requisites:

Tennis for Two (1958) [Analog Computer]

Spacewar! (1962) [PDP-1]

Rise of the Commercial Video Game Industry:

Computer Space (1971) [Nutting] → Computer Space 2P (1973) [Nutting] - UFO Chase (1975) [Electra] - Jet Fighter (1975) [Atari]
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First Video Game Console: Magnavox Odyssey (1972-1975)

Table Tennis (1972) [Magnavox Odyssey]

Pong (1972) [Atari] → TV Pin Game (1973) [Chicago Coin] - Rebound (1974) [Atari] - Clean Sweep (1974) [Ramtek] - Breakout (1976) [Atari] - Avalanche (1978) [Atari]
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Space Race (1973) [Atari]

Gotcha (1973) [Atari]

Missile Radar (1973) [Nutting]

Watergate Caper (1973) [Nutting]
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Gran Trak 10 (1974) [Atari] → Pace Car Pro (1975) [Electra] - Super Bug (1977) [Atari] - Fire Truck (1978) [Atari]

Speed Race (1974) / Wheels / Racer (1975) [Taito/Midway] → Hi-Way (1975) [Atari] - Road Race / Moto-Cross / Man T.T. / Fonz (1976) [Sega] - Get A Way (1979) [Universal]

Pin Pong (1974) [Atari] → Super Flipper (1975) [Chicago Coin]

Qwak! (1974) [Atari]

Tank (1974) [Atari] → Lazer Command (1976) [Meadows]

Seeburg's Deluxe Baseball (1974) [Seeburg] → Flyball (1976) [Atari]

TV Goalee (1974) [Chicago Coin]

Rise of the Home Computer Industry:

First Commercially Successful PC: Altair 8800 (1975 - 1978)

Pursuit (1975) [Atari] → Interceptor (1975 / 1976) [Taito] - Cobra Gunship (1976) [Meadows] - Starship 1 (1977) [Atari] - Star Fire (1979) [Exidy]

Anti-Aircraft (1975) [Atari] - Drop Zone 4 (1975) [Meadows] - Missile-X / Guided Missile (1977) [Taito/Midway] - Fortress (1979) [Gremlin]

Shark Jaws (1975) [Atari] - Maneater (1975) [Project Support Engineering]

Steeplechase (1975) [Atari]

Crash 'N Score (1975) [Atari] - Destruction Derby (1975) / Death Race (1976) / Score (1977) [Exidy]

Western Gun / Gun Fight (1975) [Taito/Midway] → Cops 'N Robbers (1976) [Atari] - Boot Hill (1977) [Midway] - M-4 (1977) [Midway]

Avenger (1975) [Electra] → Flying Fortress (1977) [Electra] - Flying Shark (1977) [Model Racing] - Secret Base (1978) [Sega] - SOS (1979) [Namco]

Fire Power (1975) [Allied Leisure Industries]

Nürburgring 1 (1975) [Dr Foerst] → Night Driver (1976) [Atari] / Night Racer (1976) [Micronetics] / Midnite Racer / 280 Zzzap (1976) [Midway]
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First CPU-Based Video Game Console: Fairchild Channel F (1976 - 1983)

Second Generation of Consoles: List

Stunt Cycle (1976) [Atari]

Sea Wolf (1976) [Midway] → Depthcharge (1977) [Gremlin]

Heavyweight Champ (1976) [Sega] → Nok-Out Boxing (1978) [Gamex]

Knights In Armor (1976) [Project Support Engineering]

Amazing Maze (1976) [Midway]

Blockade (1976) [Gremlin] → Hustle (1977) [Gremlin] - Embargo (1977) [Cinematronics]

Hit Me (1976) [Ramtek]

Video Pool (1976) [US Billiards]

Sea Battle (1976) [Ramtek]

Eliminator IV (1976) [Electra] → Drag Race (1977) [Atari] - Dragster (1980) [Activision] {Atari VCS}

Proliferation of Home Computers and Consoles:

The "1977 Trinity" of Home Computers: Apple II (1977 - 1979), TRS-80 (1977 - 1981), Commodore PET (1977 - 1982)

Highly Successful Video Game Console: Atari VCS / Atari 2600 (1977 - 1992)

Pool Shark (1977) [Atari]

Car Polo (1977) [Exidy]

Safari (1977) [Gremlin] → Sheriff (1979 / 1980) [Nintendo]

Robot Bowl (1977) [Exidy] / Meadows Lanes (1977) [Meadows]

1977 Computer / Console Games:

Fairchild Channel F: Dodge It, Robot War

RCA Studio II: Bowling
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Skydiver (1978) [Atari] → Rip Cord (1979) [Exidy]

Atari Football (1978) [Atari]

Space Invaders (1978) [Taito/Midway] → Cosmic Guerilla (1979 / 1980) [Universal] - Dai San Wakusei (1979) [Sun] - Galaxian (1979 / 1980) [Namco/Midway]

Blasto (1978) [Gremlin]

Frogs (1978) [Gremlin]

Shuffleboard (1978) [Midway]

Dog Patch (1978) [Midway]

Dead Eye (1978) [Meadows]

Gypsy Juggler (1978) [Meadows]

1978 Computer / Console Games:

Adventureland (1978) [Adventure International] - Microsoft Adventure (1979) [Microsoft]

Apple II: 3-D Docking Mission, Beneath Apple Manor, Dungeon Campaign, Escape, Fighter Pilot, Laser Turret, Microchess, Space Maze

Commodore PET: Zap!

Atari VCS: Slot Racers, Flag Capture, Basketball
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First Gaming Computer: Atari 400/800 (1979 - 1985)

Subs (1979) [Atari]

Lunar Lander (1979) [Atari]

Asteroids (1979) [Atari]

Fire One (1979) [Exidy]

Kreepy Krawlers (1979) [Exidy]

Head On (1979) [Gremlin/Sega] → Side Trak (1979) [Exidy] - Space Chaser (1979 / 1980) [Taito] - Safari Rally (1979) [SNK] - Car Hunt (1979 / 1980) [Gremlin/Sega]

Galaxy Wars (1979 / 1980) [Universal] → Space Launcher (1979) [Nintendo]

Starhawk (1979) [Cinematronics] → Tailgunner (1979) [Cinematronics]

Sundance (1979) [Cinematronics]

Warrior (1979) [Vectorbeam]

Mole Hunter (1979) [Data East]

1979 Computer / Console Games:

Superman (1979) - Adventure (1979)

Atari VCS: Human Cannonball, Miniature Golf

Magnavox Odyssey 2: War of Nerves

Apple II: Jupiter Express

Commodore PET: Artillery, Bat!, Pick-Up
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GRAPHICS:

Space Wars (1977) [Cinematronics]

Speed Freak (1978) [Vectorbeam]

OPTIONAL:

Basketball / TV Basketball (1974) [Taito/Midway]

Shark (1975) [US Billiards]

Sky Raider (1978) [Atari]

Barrier (1978) [Vectorbeam]

Not In Database: Crossfire (1975) [Atari], Boxer (1978) [Atari], Castling (1978) [Sega], Inferno (1978) [Meadows]

Breakout Variants: Circus (1977) [Exidy], Space Walk (1978) [Midway], Field Goal (1979) [Taito]

Early Puzzle Games: Towers of Hanoi (1978), Memory Match (1978), Brain Games (1978)

UNSURE:

King (1976) [Fun Games Inc]

Squadron (1976) [Sega]

Scramble (1978) [Vectorbeam]
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Notes:

In the 1970s, Atari outnumbered any other developer four-to-one in terms of unique game concepts.
That said, it seems like the company ran into a bit of a creative rut in 1977.
Dominos (1977) and Destroyer (1977) were rip-offs of Gremlin's Blockade and Depthcharge.
Likewise, Canyon Bomber (1977) was very similar to Meadow's Drop Zone 4.
Drag Race (1977) may have stole its concept from Electra's Eliminator IV (1976).
Perhaps this is why Activision chose to rip-off Atari's Drag Race for their first game - Dragster (1980).

Questions:

Q: Who made Safari? Gremlin or Taito?
A: Gremlin.
"Safari was one of many games designed by Lane Hauck [Gremlin]." - The Golden Age Historian

Q: Which came first? Flying Fortress [Electra] or Bomber [Sega]?
A: Flying Fortress.
"On the subject of Flying Fortress, Electra’s red hot new upright, Stan (Jarocki) noted that test reports have been excellent.
The game is being very well accepted by players... as evidenced by the really great income reports we've been receiving"
and the model is expected to be a very successful item in the foreign market." - Cash Box Magazine (Jan 1, 1977)
According to Sega Arcade History (pg. 33), Bomber was released in April 1977.
But the earliest Game Machine ad I could find for it was in June 1977.

Q: Which came first? Robot Bowl [Exidy] or Meadows Lanes [Meadows]?
A: They were both released in July 1977. It looks like Meadows Lanes released first, but apparently Meadows copied Robot Bowl.
Bowling (1977) on the RCA Studio II console was released before them both.

Q: Are you telling me that Night Driver, Night Racer, and 280 ZZZAP all came out around October 1976?
A: Yes.

Q: Who released TV Pin Game / TV Pinball / TV Flipper / Knockout and when was it released?
A: ???
- "(Midway's) new T.V. pinball game called "Flipper" is on the current production schedule" - Nov 23 1974
- "CC TV PIN GAME" + "MIDWAY TV FLIPPER" - July 5, 1975
- "(Exidy) licensed TV Pinball to Chicago Coin, who produced it as TV Pin Game"
- "(Ramtek) licensed a third game to Midway that it did not release itself, TV Flipper, which debuted in December 1974"

Q: Did Seeburg's Deluxe Baseball really come out in 1974?
A: ???

Ski (1975) [Allied Leisure Industries] is not a video game... According to an owner on Arcade Museum.
Star Fire should be listed as a 1979 game. It inspired Asteroids' leaderboard, and hence released before November 1979.
Space Invaders Galactica should say 1979 or 1980... That is, unless it really did come out before Galaxian (1979).
Space Chaser and Sheriff should be listed as 1979 games. Same with Gridiron [Meadows] and Starhawk.
Kamikaze, Space War, Lunar Rescue, and Heiankyo Alien should be listed as 1980 games.

Why isn't Dai San Wakusei just called Third Planet in MAME and Arcade Museum?
Why isn't Crossfire, Boxer, Castling, or Inferno in the Arcade Museum database?

Sources:

[1] Arcade Museum
[2] Atari Production Numbers
[3] Cash Box - Magazine Archive
[4] Game Machine ゲームマシン - Japanese Magazine Archive
[5] TV Game Museum ゲームの歴史 - The History of Video Games - Vol. 1 Taito Corp.
[6] Sega Arcade History by Famitsu DC
[7] The Golden Age Historian
[8] ARTICLE
[9] Keep an eye on: Replay Magazine, Play Meter Magazine, Star Tech Journal, and Vending Times

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