Timeline of Arcade Video Game History - Pre-golden Age (1971-1977)

Pre-golden Age (1971-1977)

1971

• The Galaxy Game, the earliest known coin-operated arcade video game, makes its debut on the campus of Stanford University.

• Computer Space, the first commercially sold arcade video game, and the first commercially sold video game of any kind, is released by Nutting Associates.

1972

• Atari Inc. launches Pong, the first commercially successful video game. It is also the first arcade sports video game.

1973

• Taito releases Astro Race, an early racing video game, controlled using a four-way joystick controller.

1974

• Taito releases Basketball, an early example of sprite graphics, used to represent player characters and baskets.

• Taito releases Speed Race, which introduces scrolling sprite graphics, and features a racing wheel controller. Midway releases it as Racer in the United States.

1975

• Taito releases Interceptor, an early first-person shooter and combat flight simulator, controlled using an eight-way joystick to aim a crosshair at enemy sprites that scale in size depending on their distance to the player.

• Taito releases Western Gun, an early two-player, run & gun, dual-stick, multi-directional shooter, and the first game to depict a gun. It is also the first to depict fragments of story as well as characters through its visual presentation.

• Midway MFG. releases Gun Fight, an adaptation of Taito's Western Gun and the first arcade video game to use a microprocessor, which the original incarnation did not use, allowing for improved graphics and smoother animation.

1976

• Sega releases Moto-Cross, an early motorbike racing game, which introduces a pseudo-3D forward-scrolling third-person perspective. It also introduces haptic feedback, causing the handlebars to vibrate during collisions. Sega-Gremlin re-brands it as Fonz.

• Sega releases Road Race, an early forward-scrolling first-person racing game.

• Atari Inc. releases Night Driver, another early example of a first-person perspective racing video game.

• Atari releases Breakout, which inspires a number of Breakout clones.

1977

• Cinematronics releases Space Wars, the first vector graphics arcade game.