Arguably most people consider 'Pong' to be the first videogame. Of course, they mean the incarnation of the game that appeared on the 'Atari' in 1973 (created by Nolan Bushnell). I guess this is because it was the first time a game had been commercially available. This version of, 'Pong' was actually based on a version of the game called, 'Tennis for two' which ran on an oscilloscope. This came from William Higinbotham who wanted visitors to his lab to have a more hands on approach with the hardware to become a little more involved. Needless to say it worked and proved a very effective method of showing off the latest advancements in technology at the time.
Most modern advancements in computing have come from the seemingly endless desire to improve military technology. It's so strange that something as innocent as games should have their roots in such an area which is poles apart. I doubt scientists were developing the technology for recreation and fun! I think it is hard to allocate an exact date to the creation of the first videogame because there are many contributing factors. I mean what should we even class as a video game? In terms of a game created for commercial entertainment then I guess we are looking at 'Pong' on the 'Atari'. However, if we are looking at the technology then we can look even earlier than 'Tennis for two' at the early CRT displays which although they wern't interative, had the beginnings of graphical displays. Also we shouldn't forget, 'Spacewar' which was developed in 1961 by a group of MIT students. This is credited as the first widely available computer game and whilst it was very influential I would personally consider 'Pong' and the early arcade games as the start of the gaming phenomenon as we know it today.
Thinking back, the first game I ever played must have been 'Space Invaders'. However my gaming journey really began with 'Sonic the Hedgehog' on the 'Sega Megadrive'. I guess it's appeal at that age lay in the visual pay off of bright colours flying around the screen. That, and it was fun. Part of the addictiveness came from not being able to save your progress. Everytime you sat down to play, you had to start the game over. Infact this was true for many games at the time if I remember correctly. One shining example being 'Kid Chameleon'. This game had nigh on a hundred levels, of which only half cropped up in the main story; the others making up additional game routes. I think I got to about level 38 once before dying and having to start again. Unfortunately, it was also a difficult game.
These games were clever, and I think by lacking raw graphical power they focused on a simple principle to keep people playing: challenge. I started playing games because it was damn hard to complete most of them. I rarely completed one, but when I did I actually felt like I'd accomplished something. I remember later in life I settled on 'Timesplitters 2' for quite sometime purely because the amount of additional challege modes that game provided (all of which were pretty hard). The last game I really played was 'Resident Evil 5'. In terms of asthetics it looked amazing, the gameplay was fun, but most of all it was challenging.
Today games are more about rewarding the player, the knock on effect meaning alot of them are easier. For instance a lot of games include difficulty options. I hate difficulty settings. Any game that is fun, will only be fun on a normal setting. No one ever has fun on INSANE. By making the game less forgiving it removes the players' ability to creatively enjoy the game. However that is what games are about these days. Supposedly a more immersive experience, you save your progress meaning that most people can now complete games. Asthetics and storytelling have taken over, not that this is a bad thing. Personally I just feel that I could get the same type of entertainment from a film or book. The best games undeniably are beautiful and as an artist I love games. 'Shadow of the Colossus' for example, was simply breathtaking. As a player though I feel like I don't really play games anymore, instead I just go through the motions.
What keeps me actively playing games to date, are the social implications. Connecting with your friends and the competition gaming provides is brilliant. Anyone can bond over games and it's a challange to play against other people. Real people. Not just artificial intelligence. Although the challenge inherent in gameplay alone may be lacking, other people will always provide the real challenge when sitting down to enjoy a game.
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