67
HISTORY OF ARCADE AND CONSOLE GAMES Session 5 David Mullich Survey of the Video Game Industry The Los Angeles Film School

LAFS SVGI Session 5 - The History of Console and Arcade Games

Embed Size (px)

DESCRIPTION

Lecture for Session 5 of The Los Angeles Film School's Survey of the Video Game Industry course.

Citation preview

Page 1: LAFS SVGI Session 5 - The History of Console and Arcade Games

HISTORY OF ARCADE AND CONSOLE GAMES

Session 5

David Mullich

Survey of the Video Game Industry

The Los Angeles Film School

Page 2: LAFS SVGI Session 5 - The History of Console and Arcade Games

EARLY VIDEO GAMES1947– 1972

Page 3: LAFS SVGI Session 5 - The History of Console and Arcade Games

1947: Cathode Ray Tube Amusement Device

Earliest known interactive electronic game

Missile simulator using analog circuitry to control the CRT beam and position a dot on the screen

Patent filed by Thomas T. Goldsmith and Estle Ray Mann in 1947 and filed in 1948

Circuitry schematic of Cathode Ray Tube Amusement Device

Page 4: LAFS SVGI Session 5 - The History of Console and Arcade Games

1951: Baer’s Idea for Interactive Television

Inventor Ralph Baer realizes that by giving audience the ability to control what was projected on their television set, their role changes from passive observing to interactive manipulation

Bear’s boss at electronics company Loral dismisses the idea because they’re behind schedule

Baer later becomes known as “The Father of Video Games”

Ralph Baer (left) receives the National Medal of Technology from former president George W. Bush (right)

Page 5: LAFS SVGI Session 5 - The History of Console and Arcade Games

1966: First Video Game Displayed on Television

Baer and Bill Harrison, a co-worker at electronics contractor Sanders Associates create a game called Chase, the first to display on a standard television set

Harrison, with Baer’s help, creates a light gun, the first video game peripheral

Bill Harrison, co-creator of the first video game for television

Page 6: LAFS SVGI Session 5 - The History of Console and Arcade Games

1968: The First Video Game Console

Work is completed on a prototype, which Baer called “The Brown Box”, that could play several different games such as table tennis and target shooting

By 1969, Sanders shows off the world’s first home video game console to manufacturers

This console would eventually become the Magnavox Odyssey

Brown Box prototype now on display at the Smithsonian Institution’s National

Museum of American History

Page 8: LAFS SVGI Session 5 - The History of Console and Arcade Games

Arcade Games

G4 Icons Episode #26: Arcade (22:45)

Page 9: LAFS SVGI Session 5 - The History of Console and Arcade Games

1966: Sega’s Periscope Worldwide Success

Sega introduces electro-mechanical game called Periscope, a submarine simulator and light gun shooter

Huge success in Japan, Europe and North America

First arcade machine to cost a quarter to play

Page 10: LAFS SVGI Session 5 - The History of Console and Arcade Games

1969: Duck Hunt

Sega produces gun games similar to first-person shooters

Electro-mechanical game using rear image projection to produce moving images on screen

First of these was Duck Hunt featuring animated moving targets, score printed on ticket, and volume-controlled sound effects

Page 11: LAFS SVGI Session 5 - The History of Console and Arcade Games

1969: Missile

Sega releases Missile, a shooter and vehicle combat simulation featuring electronic sound and a moving film strip to represent targets on a projection screen

Earliest known arcade game to feature a joystick with a fire button

Page 12: LAFS SVGI Session 5 - The History of Console and Arcade Games

1971: First Coin-Op Arcade Video Game

Students at Stanford University set up the Galaxy Game, a coin-operated version of SpaceWar!

Earliest known instance of a coin-operated video game

Console incorporated a DEC PDP-11/20 with vector displays

Page 13: LAFS SVGI Session 5 - The History of Console and Arcade Games

1971: First Commercially Sold Arcade Game

Computer Space was created by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney, and released by Nutting Associates in November 1971

World’s first commercially sold coin-operated video arcade game

Display is rendered on a specially modified General Electric 15" black-and-white portable television vacuum tube set

Page 14: LAFS SVGI Session 5 - The History of Console and Arcade Games

1972: Nolan Bushnell Forms Atari and Creates Pong

Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney form Atari, although Nolan buys Dabney out soon afterwards

Atari hires engineer Allan Alcorn as its first employee, who creates coin-op version of the Magnavox tennis game

Pong is so successful in bringing video games to the masses that Atari is credited with creating the coin-op video arcade industry

Atari founder Nolan Bushnell and Pong

Page 15: LAFS SVGI Session 5 - The History of Console and Arcade Games

1ST GENERATION CONSOLES1972– 1980

Page 16: LAFS SVGI Session 5 - The History of Console and Arcade Games

1972: Magnavox Odyssey

US television manufacturer Magnavox signs deal to sell Ralph Baer’s “Brown Box” console system under the name Magnavox Odyssey

Alternations include using plug-in circuits to change games and using color overlays for game backgrounds

Released with 27 games including Simon Says, Table Tennis, Volleyball and Shooting Gallery

330,000 units sold

Magnavox Odyssey

Page 17: LAFS SVGI Session 5 - The History of Console and Arcade Games

1975: Atari/Sears Tele-Games Home Pong

Atari engineer teams up with Pong inventor Alcorn to create a home version of the coin-op game

Home Pong becomes Sears most successful product at the time, selling 150,000 units during the holiday season

Magnavox sues Atari, but settles out of court with Atari becoming a Magnavox licensee

Atari/Sears Tele-Games Home Pong

Page 18: LAFS SVGI Session 5 - The History of Console and Arcade Games

1976: Coleco Telestar

Series of 14 consoles produced from 1976 to 1978

Console had two paddle controllers and the first to use General Instrument's AY-3-8500 chip, a processor that had 6 games: Tennis, Soccer, Squash, Practice, and Rifle Game (1 and 2 player versions)

One million Telestar units sold

Coleco Telestar

Page 19: LAFS SVGI Session 5 - The History of Console and Arcade Games

1977: Nintendo Color TV Game

Nintendo’s first entry into the videogame industry was securing rights to distribute the Magnavox Odyssey in 1974

Beginning in 1977, Nintendo produced a series of four dedicated home consoles for the Japanese market

Three million Color TV Game units sold

Nintendo Color TV Game

Page 20: LAFS SVGI Session 5 - The History of Console and Arcade Games

Video Game Crash of 1977

Pong “clones” had flooded the market and manufacturers sold older, obsolete clones at a loss

Many manufacturers abandoned their console game business, leaving only Atari and Magnavox

Crash came to an end with the success of Taito’s Space Invaders in 1978

Page 21: LAFS SVGI Session 5 - The History of Console and Arcade Games

THE GOLDEN AGE OFARCADE GAMES1978– 1986

Page 22: LAFS SVGI Session 5 - The History of Console and Arcade Games

1978: Space Invaders (Taito/Midway)

Designed by Tomohiro Nishikado

Manufactured by Taito in Japan and later licensed to Midway in the US

By 1981, the game grossed over $1 Billion, making it the best-selling entertainment product of its time

Inspired arcade machines to become prevalent in mainstream locations such as shopping malls

Considered to have started The Golden Age of Arcade Games

Page 23: LAFS SVGI Session 5 - The History of Console and Arcade Games

1979: Asteroids (Atari)

One of the most popular and influential games of the Golden Age

70,000 arcade cabinets sold, becoming Atari’s best-selling game of all time

Page 24: LAFS SVGI Session 5 - The History of Console and Arcade Games

1980: Pac-Man (Namco/Midway)

Sold by Namco in Japan and sold by Midway in the US

Established the maze chase genre, which appealed to both men and women

Introduced the first gaming mascot, power-ups and cut-scenes

Considered a video game classic and an icon of 1980s pop culture

Page 25: LAFS SVGI Session 5 - The History of Console and Arcade Games

1981: Donkey Kong (Nintendo) Nintendo’s first big hit! Designed by first-time game

designer Shigeru Miyamoto Laid foundations for platform

game genre as well as for visual storytelling in video games

Introduced Mario (originally called “Jumpman”, the character who would become Nintendo’s mascot

Enormously successful in Japan and North America

Page 26: LAFS SVGI Session 5 - The History of Console and Arcade Games

1982: Tron (Bally Midway)

Based on the Walt Disney film “Tron” released that same year

Consisted of four mini-games based on scenes from the film

The game earned more money than the film’s initial release

Page 27: LAFS SVGI Session 5 - The History of Console and Arcade Games

1983: Dragon’s Lair (Cinematronics)

Laserdisc video game featuring animation created by ex-Disney animator Don Bluth

One of only three video games (along with Pong and Pac-Man) on display in the Smithsonian Institution

Dirk the Daring, hero of Dragon’s Lair

Page 28: LAFS SVGI Session 5 - The History of Console and Arcade Games

2ND GENERATION CONSOLES1976– 1983

Page 29: LAFS SVGI Session 5 - The History of Console and Arcade Games

1976: Fairchild Channel F

First programmable ROM cartridge–based video game console, and the first console to use a microprocessor

Contained two built-in games, Hockey and Tennis, with 27 additional Videocarts

Spurred Atari into improving and releasing their Atari VCS gaming system, which was still in development

250,000 units sold

Fairchild Channel F Promotional Poster

Page 30: LAFS SVGI Session 5 - The History of Console and Arcade Games

1977: Atari 2600

Popularized use of microprocessor-based hardware and ROM cartridges containing game code by being superior to the Fairchild

Originally named the Atari VCS Typically bundled with two joystick

controllers, pair of game paddles, and the game Combat (later Pac-Man)

30 million units sold, and considered one of the greatest game consoles of all time

This is the system that brought video games into the home.

Atari 2600

Page 31: LAFS SVGI Session 5 - The History of Console and Arcade Games

1979: Activision Founded

Formed by disgruntled Atari game designers who failed to convince Atari to pay them royalties and give them credit on game boxes

Became the first third-party developer of video games

Promoted game creators along with the games themselves

In 1982, released Pitfall!, a best-selling title on the Atari 2600

In 1982, Activision releases Pitfall for the Atari 2600

Page 32: LAFS SVGI Session 5 - The History of Console and Arcade Games

1980: Mattel Intellivision

Introduced by Mattel toy company in 1989

Featured unique processor allowing superior graphics to the older Atari 2600

More than 125 games released

Sold 3 million unitsMattel Intellivision

Page 33: LAFS SVGI Session 5 - The History of Console and Arcade Games

1982: ColecoVision

A powerful machine with near-arcade-quality graphics

Catalog of about 145 game titles

Licensed Nintendo’s Donkey Kong as the official pack-in cartridge, which was received as a near-perfect arcade port

ColecoVision“The arcade quality video

game system”

Page 34: LAFS SVGI Session 5 - The History of Console and Arcade Games

Video Game Crash of 1983

Massive recession of the videogame industry lasting from 1983 to 1985

Revenues that had peaked at $3.2 billion in 1983 fell to $100 million by 1985, almost destroying the industry

Crash blamed on a glut of low-quality video games, flooded console market, and competition from home computers

High-profile failures like the ET-The Extraterrestrial

vidoe game contributed to the crash

Page 35: LAFS SVGI Session 5 - The History of Console and Arcade Games

Video Game Crash of 1983

G4 Icons Episode #32: The Video Game Crash (22:45)

Page 36: LAFS SVGI Session 5 - The History of Console and Arcade Games

3RD GENERATION CONSOLES1983– 1993

Page 37: LAFS SVGI Session 5 - The History of Console and Arcade Games

1983: Nintendo Entertainment System (NES)

Released in Japan as the Famicom (Family Computer)

First console of the 8-bit era, with tile and sprite-based graphics

Introduced the gamepad Nintendo introduced now-

standard business model of licensing third-party developers

Longest production run of any console (1983-2003) and credited with ending the Video Game Crash of 1983

Considered the greatest video game console in history

NES gamepad controller

Page 38: LAFS SVGI Session 5 - The History of Console and Arcade Games

1985: Super Mario Bros. (Nintendo) Designer Shigeru Miyamoto’s

first home console game The standard to which all 2D

platformers would be judged! “Jumpman” renamed Mario Sold 40.24 million copies,

making it the best-selling video game in the Mario series and the fifth best-selling game ever

Ensured Nintendo’s dominance over the console market with the NES

Design Club - Super Mario Bros: Level 1-1

Page 39: LAFS SVGI Session 5 - The History of Console and Arcade Games

1985: Sega Master System

Released as a direct competitor to the NES, starting the Console Wars

Could play both cartridges and credit card-sized “Sega cards”

Although technically superior to the NES, it failed to overturn Nintendo’s market share in Japan and North America

Small game library, coupled with the highly uneven quality of the few games released

Sega Master System with Light Gun

Page 40: LAFS SVGI Session 5 - The History of Console and Arcade Games

1986: Atari 7800

Originally announced in 1984 but release was shelved due to sale of the company

When released in 1986, it had simple dual joysticks and was almost fully backward compatible with the Atari 2600

Considered affordable at $140

Atari 7800 ProSystem

Page 41: LAFS SVGI Session 5 - The History of Console and Arcade Games

1986: The Legend of Zelda (Nintendo)

Created by game designers Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka

Gameplay consists of a mixture of action, adventure, and puzzle solving

Original game is the fourth best-selling NES game of all time

Series consists of 16 games, with a total of 67.9 million copies

The Legend of Zelda for NES

Page 42: LAFS SVGI Session 5 - The History of Console and Arcade Games

1987: Final Fantasy (Square)

Conceived by designer Hironobu Sakaguchi as his “final” effort in the video game industry

RPG that introduced a side-view perspective of combat, evolving class-change system, and different modes of transportation

Regarded as one of the most influential early RPG’s and launched a series that has sold over 100 million units

Final Fantasy for NES

Page 43: LAFS SVGI Session 5 - The History of Console and Arcade Games

1987: Metal Gear (Konami / Ultra Games)

Originally created for the MSX2 in Japan by first-time video game designer Hideo Kojima

Considered to be the progenitor of the stealth game genre

Ported to the NES and sold in US by Konami’s Ultra Games

Metal Gear for NES

Page 44: LAFS SVGI Session 5 - The History of Console and Arcade Games

1989: Nintendo GameBoy

8-bit handheld video game device released in Japan and North America in 1989

The popular puzzle game Tetris was included with the system

It was a tremendous success. The Game Boy and its successor, the Game Boy Color, sold a combined 118 million units worldwide

Made play portable and helped gamers to stick with Nintendo rather than Sega

Nintendo GameBoy with Tetris

Page 45: LAFS SVGI Session 5 - The History of Console and Arcade Games

4TH GENERATION CONSOLES1987– 1995

Page 46: LAFS SVGI Session 5 - The History of Console and Arcade Games

1987: TurboGrafx-16 Entertainment SuperSystem

Released in Japan as the PC Engine in 1987 and in North America two years later

First console of the 16-bit era, although it had a 8-bit processor with dual 16-bit GPU capable of producing 482 colors simultaneously

CD-ROMS were introduced in this generation as add-ons

Suffered from a lack of third-party support and the absence of a second controller port

TurboGrafx-16

Page 47: LAFS SVGI Session 5 - The History of Console and Arcade Games

1988: Sega Genesis

Released in Japan in 1988 as the Sega Mega Drive, and in North America in 1989 under the name Genesis

Sega’s most successful game console

Controversy over violent games like Mortal Combat forced Sega to create the first video game rating system, allowing it to ship games with little censorship and giving it a competitive edge over Nintendo

Sega Genesis

Page 48: LAFS SVGI Session 5 - The History of Console and Arcade Games

1990: Neo-Geo

SNK’s NEO-GEO was capable of 2D graphics at a quality level years ahead of other consoles because it had the same hardware as SNK’s arcade games

However, it was also the most expensive console at the time by a wide marginNeo-Geo

Page 49: LAFS SVGI Session 5 - The History of Console and Arcade Games

1990: Super NES

Released in Japan in 1990 as Super Famicom, and in North America in 1990

Introduced advanced graphics and sounds and was able to run some of the first three-dimensional video games on consoles

Became the best-selling console of the 16-bit era despite its late start and fierce competition

Super NES

Page 50: LAFS SVGI Session 5 - The History of Console and Arcade Games

5TH GENERATION CONSOLES1993– 2006

Page 51: LAFS SVGI Session 5 - The History of Console and Arcade Games

1993: Atari Jaguar

Marketed as the first 64-bit gaming system

Proved to be a commercial failure due to its small library of games and prompted Atari to leave the home video game console market

Last console from an American company until the 2001 introduction of the X-BoxAtari Jaguar

Page 52: LAFS SVGI Session 5 - The History of Console and Arcade Games

1993: 3DO Interactive Multiplayer

Conceived by Electronic Arts founder Trip Hawkins

The 3DO Company licensed the technology for other manufactures, such as Panasonic, to produced

Despite a highly promoted launch (including being named Time magazine’s “1994 Product of the Year”) its high price of $699 was one of the factors that prevented it from achieving success

3DO Interactive Multiplayer

Page 53: LAFS SVGI Session 5 - The History of Console and Arcade Games

1994: Sega Saturn

Released by Sega in 1994 in Japan and 1995 in North America

Sold 9.4 million units worldwide

Installed base was 6 million units in Japan but only 2 million in the US, losing market share to its competitors

Sega Saturn

Page 54: LAFS SVGI Session 5 - The History of Console and Arcade Games

1994: Sony PlayStation

Released by Sony in 1994 in Japan and 1995 in North America

First “computer entertainment platform” to ship 100 million units

The best selling console of all time from 1998 until 2006, when it was surpassed by the PlayStation 2

Its competitor Nintendo was considered stuck in the past with its use of cartridges and cap on mature-themed games

Sony PlayStation

Page 55: LAFS SVGI Session 5 - The History of Console and Arcade Games

1996: Nintendo 64

Released by Nintendo in 1996 in both Japan and North America

Suggested retail price was $199.99 at launch and sold 32.93 million units worldwide

Time Magazine named it “1996 Machine of the Year” despite having a limited texture cache and still relying on ROM cartridges

Nintendo 64

Page 56: LAFS SVGI Session 5 - The History of Console and Arcade Games

1997: GoldenEye (Nintendo)

Nintendo 64 title principally made by a team who had never coded a video game before

Directed by Martin Hollis of Rare and published by Nintendo

Multiplayer deathmatch mode considered one of the most enjoyable multiplayer experiences ever

Sold 8 million units worldwide, making it the third best selling Nintendo 64 game

Page 57: LAFS SVGI Session 5 - The History of Console and Arcade Games

6TH GENERATION CONSOLES1998– 2013

Page 58: LAFS SVGI Session 5 - The History of Console and Arcade Games

1998: Sega Dreamcast

Launched by Sega in Japan in 1998 and other territories in 1999

Intended as a comeback after previous efforts with the Sega Saturn failed

First console with a built-in modem and internet support for online play

Despite it being initially well received, sales plummeted when the PlayStation 2 was announced and the system was discontinued in 2001

Sega Dreamcast

Page 59: LAFS SVGI Session 5 - The History of Console and Arcade Games

2000: PlayStation 2

Released by Sony in all territories in 2000

Featured DVD-base game disks with the ability to play DVD movies and audio CD’s

More than 3,800 game titles have been released for the PS2 since launch

It is the best-selling video game console of all time, selling over 150 million units, winning the Console Wars

Sony PlayStation 2

Page 60: LAFS SVGI Session 5 - The History of Console and Arcade Games

2001: Nintendo GameCube

Released by Nintendo in all territories in 2001

Nintendo’s first optical disc-based console using 80mm “mini-DVD”’s (but couldn’t play standard DVD’s or audio CD’s)

First Nintendo to support online gaming

Criticized for its color scheme and lack of features

Sold 22 million units worldwide before being discontinued in 2007

Nintendo GameCube

Page 61: LAFS SVGI Session 5 - The History of Console and Arcade Games

2001: Xbox

Released by Microsoft in North America in 2001 and in other territories in 2002

Microsoft’s first entry in the console market, and first American console since the Atari Jaguar

In 2002, Microsoft launched Xbox live, a fee-based online gaming system

Microsoft Xbox

Page 62: LAFS SVGI Session 5 - The History of Console and Arcade Games

7TH GENERATION CONSOLES2004– NOW

Page 63: LAFS SVGI Session 5 - The History of Console and Arcade Games

2005: Xbox 360

Microsoft unveiled the Xbox 360 on MTV in 2005

Major features include integrated Xbox Live service that allows players to compete online

Windows Media Center multimedia capabilities

Games rendered natively at HD resolutionsXbox 360

Page 64: LAFS SVGI Session 5 - The History of Console and Arcade Games

2006: PlayStation 3

First released by Sony in 2006 in Japan and in other territories shortly thereafter

First console to use Blu-ray Disc as its major storage medium

Major features include its unified gaming services, the PlayStation Network

PlayStation 3

Page 65: LAFS SVGI Session 5 - The History of Console and Arcade Games

2006: Wii

First released by Nintendo in 2006

Wii Remote can be used as a handheld pointing device and detects movement in three dimensions

First console to offer Virtual Console service, with which select emulated games from past systems can be downloaded

Wii Remote in action

Page 66: LAFS SVGI Session 5 - The History of Console and Arcade Games

Nintendo’s Vision

Make games for an expanded audience

Devotion to entertainment business

Willingness to take risks

Shigeru Miyamoto

Page 67: LAFS SVGI Session 5 - The History of Console and Arcade Games