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From Nimrod to Space Invaders: The 20 Earliest Video Games Ever Made – Video games have come a long way, but their roots trace back to simple experiments and inventions that paved the way for the complex games we enjoy today. From early computer demonstrations to the first arcade hits, these pioneering titles not only entertained but also shaped the future of gaming. Here’s a look at the 10 oldest video games in history that started it all.
1. Nimrod (1951)
Nimrod wowed crowds at the Festival of Britain as an early computer game. Made by Ferranti, it used lights to play the game of Nim, showing how computers could “think” before screens existed.
2. OXO (1952)
OXO was the first digital tic-tac-toe game, created by A.S. Douglas at Cambridge. He programmed it on the EDSAC computer to show how a screen could display a game—years before monitors were common.
3. Tennis for Two (1958)
Shown on an oscilloscope at Brookhaven Lab, this simple tennis game amazed visitors. Made for fun, it was one of the first games with moving visuals.
4. Spacewar! (1962)
Made at MIT, Spacewar! featured two ships battling near a star’s gravity. Built to test the PDP-1 computer, it became a classic that inspired future game developers.
5. The Sumerian Game (1964)
This early text-based game let players rule an ancient city by managing resources. Made by a teacher and programmer, it was the first educational game.
6. Galaxy Game (1971)
Stanford students turned Spacewar! into Galaxy Game, added a coin slot, and made the first arcade game. It marked the start of gaming for money.
7. Computer Space (1971):
The first arcade video game, Computer Space looked cool but was hard to play. Its failure led to the creation of the simpler and more popular Pong.
8. The Oregon Trail (1971)
Made for students, this game let players lead a wagon west, facing tough choices and dangers. It’s best known for the line: “You have died of dysentery.”
9. Pong (1972):
A simple table tennis game, Pong became a hit in bars. It was so popular, the test machine jammed from too many quarters.
10. Magnavox Odyssey (1972):
The first home console, the Odyssey hooked up to TVs with screws. It offered simple games like table tennis and used plastic screen overlays, starting the era of console gaming.
11. Hunt The Wumpus (1973):
A text-based maze game where players avoid a monster using clues. It showed that games could be exciting without graphics.
12. Maze War (1973):
Maze War was the first game with a first-person view, multiplayer online play, and shooting. Players hunted each other in a 3D maze, starting the FPS genre.
13. Dungeons & Dragons (1975):
Text-based D\&D games on PLATO introduced fantasy elements like classes and stats, shaping the future of digital role-playing games.
14. Gun Fight (1975):
The first arcade game to use a microprocessor, Gun Fight made games more responsive and complex.
15. Breakout (1976):
Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs helped build Breakout, a game where players break colorful blocks with a paddle. It turned Pong into a solo challenge and inspired many games after.
16. Colossal Cave Adventure (1976):
A text game where players explored caves and solved puzzles. It started interactive fiction and inspired many adventure games.
17. Zork (1977):
A famous text adventure that created rich worlds using words. Made at MIT, it featured tricky puzzles and humor, shaping storytelling in games.
18. Combat (1977):
Included with the Atari 2600, Combat let players battle tanks and planes. It was one of the first multiplayer games for home consoles.
19. Space Invaders (1978):
This hit game from Japan had players shoot waves of aliens. It started the arcade craze and was so popular that Japan ran low on coins.
20. Star Trek (1971):
A text-based game where players commanded the USS Enterprise against Klingons. Created by Mike Mayfield, it became a popular early strategy game on mainframes and PCs.
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