Video Game History

Atari 2600

Sears Tele-Games PONG 

Video games have travelled a long and winding to get were we see them today, a multi billion dollar industry. Once seen as only a fad, video games became very popular starting in about 1972 with the introduction of the PONG arcade game. This game was placed in a local bar,and quickly won the people over, who were having drunken battles with their friends. This game became so popular, that a home version was inevitable. In 1975 Atari Introduced PONG to the home market. Marketed through Sears Department Stores, people stood in line for hours to get their hands a PONG system for their kids in time for Christmas. It is reported that Atari could not keep up with the demands of consumers, and thousands of systems had to be put on back order, which in turn put people on a waiting list, just to get one. Then, just as quickly as they had become popular, they began to decline in popularity, everyone was tired of playing PONG, the people wanted something new. The Answer to those prayers come in October, 1977, when Atari released the Atari 2600. This system eventually became synonymous with video games, but not until it's killer app, Space Invaders was released in 1980. Everyone rushed to the store to buy an Atari 2600, just to be able to play Space Invaders at home, they didn't care about any other games that were coming out for the system. Overwelmed by the success of the 2600, Atari quickly became a juggernaut in the video game business. Atari was now able to obtain the licences to high profile games, such as Asteroids. Then in 1982, at the height of their popularity, Atari obtained the rights to one of the decades most popular games, Pac-Man. Atari hired game designer Todd Frye to design Pac-Man, who reportedly hated Pac-Man. Frye was paid an unheard of 1,000,000 to design Pac-Man. It is reported that after completing the game Frye posted the check on his office door for all the other employees at the office to see. The release of this game, and another game by Atari, called E.T. The Extra Terrestrial is said to have triggered what has came to be known as the Great Videogame Crash of 1983-4. This crash put an end to what is known as the classic era of video games.