Great Moments in Videogame History 1962 Steve Russell designs Space war, the first computer video game. His efforts directly inspire another M.I.T. man. Nolan Bushnell. 1966 Ralph Baer, working at Sanders Associates, starts development of the first unit for playing games through a home TV set 1967 Baer hires Bill Harnson and Bill Busch, assigning them to a small lab called 'the game room.' The strange noises coming from behind the cubicle's locked door touch off some wild rumors 1971 Nolan Bushnell builds his first videogame. Computer Space. This commercial version of 'SPACEWAR' proves to be far ahead of its time. The complex rules and abstract nature of the play mystify and intimidate players. It flops. 1971 Shortly after Bushnell unveils 'Computer Space.' another M.I.T. student named Bill Pitts produces his own 'Spacewar' variant. GALAXY GAME is even less successful; the prototype was the only version ever put together. 1972 Magnavox introduces Ralph May Baer's pioneering videogame system. Odyssey, America remains indifferent, but the potential is obvious to visionaries. 1972 After Midway gives him the cold shoulder, Bushnell forms his own company He names it Atari, the equivalent of "check- mate" in the Japanese game of Go. When Pong is tested at Andy Capp's, a Sunnyvale. Cal., watering hole, it breaks down immediately. The hitch: the coin box is jammed to over- flowing with quarters! 1973 Universal Research produces the world's second home videogame The company does not go on to become fhe Avis of the new induztry 1973 Magnavox introduces the Odyssey to a waiting world on a network TV special hosted by Frank Sinatia. Maybe if it had been Elton John... 1975 The introduction of the LSI--for Large-Scale Integration--chip, opening the way for a genera- tion of ball and paddle games 1975 Sears agrees to handle Atari's home videogame products, giving the fledgling company access to a national audience. 1976 Coleco uses the General Instru- ments super-chip to create the hugely popular Telstar Arcade. Its success inspires no fewer than 70 companies to market videogames for holiday gift giving. 1976 The first programmable system, Channel F, makes its debut from Fairchiid Electronics. RCA follows with the black-and-white Studio II. 1976 Warner Communications sets a new record for spending on videogames when the con- glomerate buys Atari for S28 million 1977 The historic "Gametronic Con- ference" brings all of videogaming's leading lights together for a meeting in San Francisco. Awards are bestowed upon Ralph Baer and Nolan Bushnell for their pioneering work. 1978 A 'Pong'-weary nation turns its eyes toward programmability and finds the Atari VCS. Mag- navox Odyssey2 and Bally Pro- fessional Arcade on store shelves 1978 A small Japanese pachinko manufacturer comes up with an interesting coin-op diversion called Space Invaders. Mid- way acquires the license to make the U.S, coin-op version. and it proves to be something more than a mild success 19BO Mattel launches its modular gameplaying computer. Intelli- vision The games bowl people over with their outstanding gra- phics, and no one really minds too much when the keyboard and other peripherals remain among the missing 1980 Jim Levy and four ex-Atari designers--David Crane, Larry Kaplan, Alan Miller and Bob Whitehead--form Activision. the world's first videogame software company. Not sur- prisingly, the company immed- iately gives game designers a lot more recognition by crediting them on the cartridge packages. 1981 Atari introduces Asteroids to commercial arcades. Its use of the vector-scan graphics system developed by Cinema-tronics/ Electrohome its non-linear play action. The arrival of this Quadrascan system, albeit only in black and white, signals another push forward in game quality. 1981 Atari enters the home com- puter field with the 4001800 system--and a great space game called Star Ralders. 1981 An influx of female arcaders makes this the year of Pac-Man. 1981 Electronic Games, the first magazine exclusively devoted to arcading, distributes its first issue. 1981 ColorQuadrascan arrives. Atari produces Tempest, and Sega/ Gremlin offers Space Fury.