Very First Video Games EVER! The History of Computer Space & Space War - The Irate Gamer 

I’m so glad this video exists. It’s not only a history of the start of video games, it’s also I perfect example of old RU-vid with good production value. This video needs to be in a museum.

This is very good reporting. It is important to point out that, in 1952, Cambridge University built a computer called "Oxo", specifically to play Tic-Tac-Toe. Then in 1958, Willy Higgenbotham created a pong-like game called Tennis for Two from an analog computer used to compute ordnance trajectories. All good wishes.

I don’t know how or why but these videos are truly nostalgic to me. Something about them just stuck with 11-12 year old me and now whenever I watch them it kinda feels like I’m a kid again. Sitting in my room, up later than I should’ve been, with my only worry in the world being what to wear to school the next day.

Even people hate this guy but this video (and all other "History of Video Games" series) are educative, i love it :)

I used to play Space Wars in the arcade when it was introduced there! My first game ever played on computers was "Hunt the Wumpus" on a mainframe. I was like 13 or something like that, it was at a computer demonstration at a university. Later mainframe games were at the Polytech when I was 14 and first taking computer classes at school were DnD (early ascii rogue), Zork, and Star Trek.

There was an arcade version of Space War that was pretty much identical to the mainframe version. Play time was controlled by how much money you put it in. There were a large number of gameplay options. IIRC they included (but were not limited to) sun with gravity, sun without gravity, no sun, boundary that was deadly and blocked shots, deadly boundary that bounced shots, deadly boundary that passed shots with wraparound, boundary that bounced ships and shots, no boundary that wrapped shots and ships. To enter all these options there was a keypad with quite robust buttons like a computer keyboard. The ship control buttons were the same type. The one I played had a low and wide cabinet, all black and white, plain, without any cabinet graphics. A marked contrast to all the narrow and upright cabinets of all the other games. This game was old in the late 80's when it appeared at the arcade I frequented and only cost as many nickles as I was willing to put in, which wasn't many or often as it was only two player and I rarely found anyone else to play it with. Unlike Bushnell's knockoff, this arcade version also retained the ships' ability to take one hit and be damaged. Taking damage and visible damage was an industry first in the original mainframe Space War, this arcade version and some of the copycats. How long was it before any other game had both?

2:26 that scream never gets old.

I played a blue single-player version of this game in an arcade booth at the Ohio State Fair. It was a great game and demonstrated the promise of video games. All the other games in the booth were the pinball machines we were all used to. I played Computer Space as much as I could but I was appalled that it didn't take a quarter, but TWO quarters to get the game to start.

Keep up the good work Chris!

Probably the best Chris Bores videos. Good series.

Thanks for the upload!

2:25 best scream 10/10

Very nice chritopher i enjoyed the updated version ... good job kiddo~

good job Chris, I like your videos, cheers from argentina

Great job. Look forward to the next one.

COOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL!!! Nice of you to update your video to HD, still love the special effects. Hope you update your videos more offten.

love ur vids can't wait for more! :D

good series . . . thanks for ULing it! P.S. It would be nice if you edited this playlist so that it is not in reverse order for autoplay. 😉

This video was really funyy. XD ! :) Great job.

Oh my god, he revisioned the old scenes that I miss now. Lmao 🤣

realy injoing ur channel ! keep it up

Great work. This doc is witty, funny, informative, and off-beat. Pacing is right on the money, too.

Interesting. Cool video bro.

The version of Space War shown at 1:08 is exactly the game I played in an arcade in the 70's... as you said, the version on the DEC PDP was a little different.

Man u rule!Keep up the work!!!!

Hey Chris, I understood that you used as much resource material as you could find. but you were the reason I started this research, found some good resource material, and you got me on the right track, just the wrong train. but thank you for posting these videos

Yeah! thank you for uploading in HD. Super interesting your video (y)

This series is awesome. Laughed my ass off with that hyperdrive joke.

Awesome, 8-bit in HD. Just what we needed.

Well, this is better than history channel

Chris if you could finish this Series it would be Awesome!

Nice. Was pleasure to see that again, however i didn't notice any changes.

nice vid Chris

While I'm glad that you are converting your videos to HD I would really like to see the rest of the series.

Great Job

Irate gamer is now CB Network

this is awesome

@deckerlink Sorry, I've got a list of projects a mile long that I've gotta get out of the way first.

This video was both extremely educational AND entertaining.

good work

Will The DVD Release have all the Upcoming episodes, bonus scenes, and bloopers? :D I'm really considering getting this.

Like it!

@tubeview96 LOL yeah i popped popcorn and everything! Nice remake, was worth my time, and worthy of the IG logo~

@SuperLugia95 HAHAHA good come back ...i loved it~

@atomicstickfigure1 yerp a derp :3 got any good irate episodes i should watch?

This is a cool video.

Time to update this. This was not the first video game

@Irategamer Hey Chris why do you want this to be in HD? Just wondering

This version is much better. Love the episode

0:19 I see gameplay footage of Donkey Kong Country Returns, and I hear Guitar Hero music. LOL

i must admit i got a little bit happier when i saw a new episode under my subscriptions. yet im dissapointed as it's just a repeat of an earlier episode

Good video IG

Chris Bores, I wanted CRT (1947), Chess (1949), Nim (1951), OXO (1952) and Tennis for Two (1958)

@mulemulerton Does that make any difference in how well you hear ?

@Irategamer when is the next video on the irate gamer were the evil gamer brought a robot to life with one of your consoles i was left thinking on what the evil gamer is up to

It might take years to complete the entire series. But that's okay, I'm patient. Take your time Mr. IG. I'm not rushing you.

Irate Gamer has left the building ........ :D

What I've been seeing here lately is that the longer it takes, the better it is. So, while the HD is fine, I'm just waiting for the next big review.

I noticed some of the dialogue was changed in this version too. At 3:51, he says "The product was oddly-shaped," where in the original, he said "the product was a complete eyesore." I wonder why he changed that.

awesome

very well made & interesting vid , keep up the good work ,, & peeps....."don`t feed the trolls"

@3:56, Technically the first coin-operated videogame was "Space-Blaster Galaxy Game"(1971), and "Computer Space" (developed by Nolan Bushnell AND Ted Dabney) was the first one to be commercially sold.

This computer is actually in the museum of motion picture in new york. I went there and played this game and damn was it nostalgic

at 0:39 behind ur head, were did u get that boo thats on the wall? can any help me out here?

i was hoping for a new vid, not a reupoad! c'mon irate gamer!

@Irategamer Do you know what the projected price of the DVD will be.

As long as someone does it as their own video and not entirely copied like copying a video from someone else into your own channel and getting credit for yourself is bad but other than that Irategamer deserves his subs and fans.

Wow, I must be here pretty early. I actually see some people that are NOT trolling you, Irategamer. Are you having another free giveaway that I am unaware of?

@TheIrateFan Love your user name, pretty cool~

Hooray. Now we have two shots of Chris Bores screaming like an idiot. Now remake your Monster Party review for more Bores n' Doors.

2:26 very funny scream. XD

Wow, why am I just discovering this series now?! These are great, I'll be binge watching them this weekend...

Why can't ALL history lessons be as interesting and entertaining as this one? :)

1947: Cathode Ray Tube Amusement Device 1947-1958: Chess 1951: Nim 1952: OXO / Noughts and Crosses (Tic-Tac-Toe) 1958: Tennis for Two 1959: Mouse in the Maze, Tic-Tac-Toe This wasn't the "first" game, but no one really paid much attention to those cause they weren't available to most. 1961: Spacewar! was more available cause it was a way for companies to test their computers before shipping. So, it had a bigger impact on the culture.

hey irategamer just wanted 2 say that i have aspergers too

2:26 It doesn’t feel right with this new edit scene. Even when he’s slack-jawing with his mouth hanging. 😂

Wow. Nice.

This is awesome. Screw the haters. I'm also learning a lot.

BTW for the fans IG has his sonic colors review up at gotgame.com right now! You might have to use firefox to load gotgame to view it tho as i had trouble and that seemed to work fine~ Happy viewing fans of Irate Gamer~

Repeating jokes like in family guy? Very creative

IRATE GAMER RULE'S!!!

MOAR MOAR MOAR

stop disliking the video just because irate gamer did them! this videos are very well done and dont rip off avgn in any way. I love avgn but i like irate too so just stop it.

@Irategamer When was OXO's made?

on his website he said the sixth part would be coming out later in 2012 but unfortunately we dont know when that is exactly. we just hope its soon.

I used to like watching his funny nes reviews but now hes either gotten lazy or just doesnt have that great sense of humor we loved

irate gamer, im a fan of yours, but when i watched your idooble contest i heard you say you were working on a new irate gamer review, not the hov episode one on hd. besides haters are leaving insulting comments on your video. i hope you finish your next review because i bookmarked your website a long time ago and i check it everyday.so i will be waiting for your next irate gamer review

Was there really a Bob Yeuker-colored arcade machine for Computer Space?

@Aaron1046 2 years for that!? Can I please have the source for that information because I'm definately gonna have that checked.

Hey, Chris, I was wondering when that interview thing is going to happen? I sent you emails about it, and you only replied once? I'm waiting, man.

In the original History of Video Games, the spacewar scene had no music compared to this one.

What music play at the video ending?

DVD?!?!?! Sweet!

@ 2:22 human muppet.

i like it

i agree. i like them both too

Um... Tennis for Two, 1958, by William Higginbotham. First videogame with an I/O device outside of the console. OXO, 1952, Alex Douglas, first computer game with a graphical display and third computer game ever. NIMROD, 1951, presented in the Festival of Britain - a computer made to play a mathematical game against the computer. Cathode Ray Ammusement Device: Missile Simulator, 1947, Thomas Goldstein - first human / computer interaction for entertainment (computer/electronic game) EVER.

The best thing about the IG? Trolling his videos with how much i wuv AVGN and Archfiend

Does one of those ships look somewhat like the USS Enterprise? Just Saying.

What about Thomas T. Goldsmith Jr. and Estle Ray Mann's "Cathode ray tube amusement device?" That dates back to 1947.