VIDEO GAMES AND REGULATION TIMELINES 1958 Physicist, Willy Higinbotham, invents the first video game at the Brookhaven National Laboratory in Upton, New York. His table tennis-like game was played on an oscilloscope. The first video game 1961 Steve Russell, a student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), creates Spacewar, the first interactive computer game. It runs On a Digital PDP-1 mainframe computer and the graphics consist of ASCII text characters. 1
Steve Russell s Spacewar 1966 Ralph Beer, an engineer at Sanders Associates receives support from his company to explore his idea of creating interactive games using a television. 1967 Baer and his team are successful in creating two interactive TV games a chase game and a tennis game. They are also able to manipulate a toy gun so that it detects spots of light on the TV sceen. Ralph Baer Magnavox licences Baer s TV game from Sanders Associates 1970 Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney (future founders of Atari) begin their attempt to create an arcade version of Spacewar, calling it Computer Space. 1971 Computer Space becomes the first video arcade game ever released. 1500 games are distributed. Public considers the game too difficult to play. 2
Computer Space Arcade Game April 25 A U.S. patent is issued to Ralph Baer for A Television Gaming Apparatus Method. 1972 Magnavox s Odyssey, the first home video game system, is showcased at a convention in California and is released to the public later that year. Magnavox Odyssey 1975 Gunfight, the first computer game is released. It is the first game to use a Microprocessor instead of hardwired solid-state circuits. 3
Gunfight The first computer game Coleco releases its first home video game console, Telstar. 1976 Fairchild Camera & Instrument debuts it Video Entertainment System which Is known as Channel F. The first programmable (cartridge-based) home game console, it allowed users to change games by switching cartridges that resembled 8-track audio tapes. Fairchild s Channel F The game Death Race is probably the first game to provoke controversy. Though only available as an arcade game, this precursor to Carmageddon provided sufficient ammunition for the likes of the National Safety Council to call the game sick and morbid. Inspired by the 1975 film, Death Race 2000, the game requires the player to run over gremlins attempting to get out of the way. 4
Death Race 1977 Atari introduces its first cartridge-based home video system called the Video Computer Sytem which later becomes known as the Atari 2600. Atari s 2600 1978 Midway introduces Space Invaders into arcades. It is the first arcade game which tracks and displays high scores. 5
Midway s Space Invaders 1979 Asteroids is the first game to allow high scorers to enter three character initials to be stored in the machine. 1980 300,000 units of Pac-Man are released worldwide by Namco. Pac-Man 1982 Atari releases the Atari 5200 Cinematronics debuts Rick Dyer s Dragon s Lair, the first video game to Feature laser-disc technology. 6
The Commodore 64 is introduced. It is the most powerful video game console to date with a whopping 64K memory!! It is also the least expensive. The Commodore 64 1983 Nintendo introduces the Famicon in Japan later known as the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) into the U.S. Custer s Revenge sparks considerable controversy in the USA. Made by an adult video producer, the game features a naked General Custer with a noticeable erection having to cross the screen whilst avoiding arrow-fire in order to have sex with a tied-up Native American woman. Some critics claimed it crudely depicted simulated rape. However, the game was short-lived and eventually toned-down. 7
Custer s Revenge 1984 UK introduces the Video Recordings Act as a response to public and government concerns over video nasties. Though video games are technically exempt elements of the Act can cause some games to be classified by the BBFC. 1985 The popular game, Tetris, is developed by the Russian programmer, Alex Pajitnov. To compete with NES, Sega introduces the Sega Master System. 1986 Nintendo release the hand-held Gameboy 1989 Sega debuts the 16-bit Genesis console. 8
The Video Standards Council is launched and develops a code of practice for retailers to ensure they comply with the requirements of the VRA. 1991 Nintendo releases the Super NES in the U.S. 9
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) Atari releases the Jaguar the first 64-bit console. 1992 A full-motion video (FMV) game, Night Trap, is released which causes such controversy in the US that, together with Doom, Lethal Enforcers and Mortal Kombat, leads to a series of congressional hearings in the Senate concerning offensive video game material. The game itself is eventually withdrawn from sale. 10
SEGA s Night Trap 1993 Senators Joseph Liebermann and Herbert Kohl, joint-chairmen of the Senate Committee hearings on video games, give the US software entertainment industry a year to come up with a workable games rating system. 1994 America establishes the ESRB (Entertainment Software Ratings Board) to rate video games. In the UK, the European Leisure Software Publishers Association (ELSPA) introduces an advisory ratings system administered by the VSC. 11
ELSPA Ratings Sony release the Playstation 1997 The state of Arizona attempts to restrict the distribution of violent video games by making it illegal to display or distribute violent material to minors. The BBFC bans the PC game, CARMAGEDDON. However, the ban is overturned on appeal and is released with an 18 certificate. Sega introduces the Dreamcast in Japan 12
1998 The Wal-Mart chain decides to ban over fifty video games that it deems inappropriate for minors. Billy Mitchell attains a score of 3,333,360 playing Pac-Man. This is the highest possible score a player can attain. 1999 As a result of the killings that occurred at Colombine High School in Littleton, Colorado, Sega announces that it will not release a light gun for the Dreamcast in the USA. 2000 Sony launches the Playstation 2. Sony s Playstation 2 2001 Sega announces it will no longer manufacture hardware. Nintendo release the Gameboy Advance 2002 A South Korean man becomes the first person to die from playing an online game continuously for over 50 hours. 2003 The ELSPA rating system is superseded by PEGI. 2004 Nintendo releases the Nintendo DS. The hot coffee incident sparks controversy for Grand Theft Auto IV. A usergenerated Mod allows players to have virtual sex with a prostitute. 13
GTA IV The hot coffee incident Sony releases the PSP 14
2005 Microsoft unveils the Xbox 360. Microsoft s Xbox 360 Nintendo releases the Wii 2006 Sony debuts the Playstation 3. Rule of Rose withdrawn from sale in some European countries following controversial claims that it includes scenes of child cruelty. Rule of Rose Rockstar s Canis Canem Edit (aka Bully) causes controversy in the UK with calls being made to ban it. The BBFC passes it 15 uncut. 15
Canem Canis Edit aka Bully 2007 The BBFC bans Manhunt 2. A re-edited version is submitted, but also banned. A subsequent appeal overturns the ban and it is released with an 18 certificate. Manhunt 2 16
2008 Dr Tanya Byron conducts a wide review of video games and how they are rated and sold. She makes a number of recommendations. 2010 Following on from the Byron review, HMG announces that PEGI will be given statutory powers to rate games in the UK. 2012 Using the PEGI games rating system the VSC becomes the statutory video game regulator for the UK. It operates a separate rating arm called the Games Rating Authority (GRA). 17