Games

The 'CRT Amusement Device' that spawned a multi-million dollar industry

The 'CRT Amusement Device' that spawned a multi-million dollar industry
Thomas T. Goldsmith Jr. and Estle Ray Mann created the first video game in 1947 - the CRT Amusement device
Thomas T. Goldsmith Jr. and Estle Ray Mann created the first video game in 1947 - the CRT Amusement device
View 10 Images
Atari's Pong was released in the early 1970's
1/10
Atari's Pong was released in the early 1970's
Space War (Image by Joi Ito)
2/10
Space War (Image by Joi Ito)
Space Invaders - 1978
3/10
Space Invaders - 1978
Computer Space was created by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney who would later found Atari Inc.
4/10
Computer Space was created by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney who would later found Atari Inc.
Space Invaders - 1978
5/10
Space Invaders - 1978
Pong -1972
6/10
Pong -1972
Magnavox Odyssey
7/10
Magnavox Odyssey
Thomas T. Goldsmith Jr. and Estle Ray Mann created the first video game in 1947 - the CRT Amusement device
8/10
Thomas T. Goldsmith Jr. and Estle Ray Mann created the first video game in 1947 - the CRT Amusement device
Simple interactive video games have spawned a multi-million dollar industry (Image by Edoardo Campanale)
9/10
Simple interactive video games have spawned a multi-million dollar industry (Image by Edoardo Campanale)
Thomas T. Goldsmith Jr. and Estle Ray Mann created the first video game in 1947 - the CRT Amusement device
10/10
Thomas T. Goldsmith Jr. and Estle Ray Mann created the first video game in 1947 - the CRT Amusement device
View gallery - 10 images

On a cold morning on January 25, 1947 at the U.S. Patent Office, Thomas T. Goldsmith Jr. and Estle Ray Mann submitted an invention that is now recognized as one of the earliest examples of the video game - the "Cathode Ray Tube Amusement Device". Described it as a game of skill where a player sits or lies in front of a Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) mounted in a closet, the analog device was inspired by a radar commonly used in the second World War to control missiles. Using knobs to adjust speed and trajectory, a plane was represented by a single point and the scores were assigned by hand!

Later in the 50's and 60's these types of games were further developed onto mainframe computers. However it wasn't until 1971 when the first commercially viable video game hit the market. It was Computer Space created by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney, who would later found Atari Inc. It was the world's first commercially sold coin-operated video game, whilst Magnavox Odyssey followed six months later, and Atari's Pong another year later.

The arcade game industry entered its golden age in 1978 with the release of Space Invaders which caused arcade machines to become common in busy locations such as malls and convenient stores. Space Invaders would go on to sell over 360,000 units worldwide and by 1981, it had generated a revenue of more than US$1 billion.

A little over sixty years ago the only video game in town was scored by hand and took up the space of half a living room, now it's one of the biggest entertainment industries the world has ever seen with sought-after games making hundreds of millions of dollars within days of release, surpassing box-office earnings of some of Hollywood's most popular films.

View gallery - 10 images
No comments
0 comments
There are no comments. Be the first!