Early Video Game Milestones (Was Pong the first?)

Was Pong the first video game?

Short answer: no—Pong (1972) was an early smash hit, but there were earlier pioneers.

1950s

  • Tennis for Two (, William Higinbotham) — a tennis‑like game displayed on an oscilloscope, moving a dot with simple controls.

1960s

  • Spacewar! (, MIT — Steve Russell et al.) — two spacecraft dogfighting on a PDP‑1; hugely influential on later developers.

Pre‑1970 home/commercial attempts

  • “Brown Box” (, Ralph Baer) — prototype of the first home video game console, later commercialized as the Magnavox Odyssey.
  • Magnavox Odyssey () — the first commercial home video game console; included a simple tennis game.

1970s

  • Pong (, Atari — Nolan Bushnell, Al Alcorn) — released for arcades and became a breakout hit that rapidly expanded the industry.

Quick summary

  • “First video game” often cited: Tennis for Two (1958).
  • “Origin of computer games”: Spacewar! (1962).
  • “First home console”: Magnavox Odyssey (1972).
  • “First worldwide mega‑hit”: Pong (1972).

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Generative Art Libraries and Resources 1. Metaball Libraries and Samples metaballs-js (npm) : A lightweight WebGL-based metaball rendering library. You can freely specify the number of balls, colors, and speed. Paper.js Metaball Demo : The official Paper.js example showing a “viscous” effect via contour calculations on the canvas. Varun.ca Metaballs : An HTML5 canvas/JavaScript demo of metaballs with the algorithm’s formulas explained. Three.js Metaball Slime : A 3D metaball example using Marching Cubes and the Rapier physics engine. Codrops “Drawing 2D Metaballs with WebGL2” : A tutorial for drawing 2D metaballs by hand in WebGL2. 2. Symmetry (Rorschach) Generative Art Symmetry Drawer by aferriss : An editor built on p5.js for drawing with left-right symmetry—perfect for experimenting with ideas. “ : A simple sample that generates patterns by pairing square cells symmetrically. Medium: From Syntax to Symmetry (p5.js) : ...
Read more

Japan Jazz Anthology Select: Jazz of the SP Era

Image
Saint Louis Blues — W.C. Handy’s iconic early jazz–blues standard, often played with a sturdy two-beat dance feel. Learn more Pagan Love Song — A Tin Pan Alley favorite by Arthur Freed & Nacio Herb Brown, frequently sweetened into a foxtrot. Learn more When It’s Lamp Lighting Time in the Valley — A sentimental waltz-time country ballad that crossed over into light-music repertoire. Learn more Chinrai-bushi — A salon-tinged popular song often adapted by prewar dance bands in Japan. Learn more Kiso-bushi — A graceful folk song from the Kiso region; arrangements highlight its lilting, modal flavor. Learn more Yagi-bushi — A lively festival min’yō from Gunma/Tochigi; its call-and-response suits a buoyant swing. Learn more Yasugi-bushi — A humorous Shimane folk song (famous for the “dojo-sukui” dance) that also works as a jaunty foxtrot. Learn more Taiko-sen (“Boat on Lake Tai”) — A Chinese popular tune widely played in Japan; often given a gentle ...
Read more

In practice, the most workable approach is to measure a composite “civility score” built from multiple indicators.

  1) Model-based indicators (machine learning) Toxicity/Aggression: Use Jigsaw’s Perspective API to obtain probabilities for “TOXICITY,” “INSULT,” “PROFANITY,” “IDENTITY_ATTACK,” etc. Japanese is supported (see the official language table). Politeness: Stanford’s research established a framework for estimating “politeness” from markers like request forms, hedges, honorifics, etc. It’s English-centric, but the methodology can be adapted to Japanese. The R package politeness is also useful. 2) Lightweight rules for Japanese (highly interpretable) Honorific/hedge rate: Ratios of “です/ます,” “〜でしょうか,” “お手数ですが,” “お願いします,” and the like. Presence of slurs/derogatory terms: A custom NG-word list (including figurative or euphemistic forms). Imperatives/strong assertions: Frequency of “〜しろ,” “〜に決まってる,” heavy use of exclamation marks, ALL-KATAKANA bursts, etc. Consideration/evidence markers: Signs of dialogic and verifiable style such as “根拠：,” “出典：,” “もし〜なら.” 3) ...
Read more