From a simple Pastime to a new Sport Style
At the beginning of the 70s, the first game consoles hit the market. At that time, nobody imagined which rapid development would experience the games industry. Fore-games like "Pong" or "Pac-Man" attracted the masses under its spell and came with simple graphics and game mechanics. Today gamers dive into virtual worlds that outdo each other in complexity and atmosphere.
The development of video games was heavily dependent on the technical development of computer technology at the beginning. For this reason, one could only play them on mainframes in the 50s and 60s and thus reserved for only a small number of students and researchers. The first known game was the Tic-Tac-Toe game "OXO".
Then in the 70s, the development slowly started rolling. Atari founder Nolan Bushnell marketed the Game "Pong" by game inventor Ralph Baer. Pong is generally regarded as the first video game ever, not least because of the fact that with this game, the first video game wave movement began, which reached up to the 80s with "Pac Man". The console manufacturer "Atari" was the pioneer on the market. In addition, Magnavox launched a home console for the TV to this early time. However, which demanded exorbitant prices. In 1978, Atari then released the successful game "Space Invaders" on the console "Atari 2600". Until 1983, this console was now the undisputed market leader.
Then in the 80s, there was a flood of sometimes bad video games. Moreover, price differences between consoles and home computers that are technologically more advanced at a rapid pace also led to the market slump. The Japanese company Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) provided a remedy since 1986/1987. The release of "Super Mario Bros." topped everything there previously was. The length and complexity of the video game set off a veritable "Nintendo Mania": The sales grew and began a new era of video games. At that time, one counted the various genres: RPG, Racing, Jump `n` Runs, Beat ’em Ups and adventure games. In 1989 with the Game Boy, the first handheld console entered the market.
The games from then on have been especially improved regarding sound and graphics. The 16-bit consoles Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis appeared on the market in the early 90s. Console and PC games were attached further to each other through uniform storage media (CD-ROM). The main innovations in late 90s were the shift from 2D to 3D graphics using the PlayStation and the later released Nintendo 64. Pioneering game titles in this decade were "Civilization" (1991), "Doom" (1993), "Tomb Raider "(1996) or" Counter Strike "(1999). The game "Snake" (1997) for the first time provided entertainment for mobile devices on Nokia - the birth of mobile games.
In the 2000s, the gaming market increasingly developed further. The gaming usability is designed diverse. Besides classical input devices such as mouse, keyboard or gamepad cameras, microphones, touch pads, and wireless controllers enabled new forms of movement games. In addition, the trend towards "social gaming" meaning browser games became popular in this decade. Since the turn of the millennium game titles such as "The Sims" (2000), "EyeToy: Play" (2003), "World of Warcraft" (2004), "Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare" (2007) and "Grand Theft Auto IV "(2008) are among the most played games.
Major game publishers continue to rely on new editions based on previously successful games and concepts. We are excited about what still awaits us in the coming years from the gaming industry.
