From Pong and Space Invaders to Candy Crush and Call Of Duty – at some point in your life, we can bet you will have become immersed in a video game.

Gaming is one of the most profitable entertainment industries in the world, but where did it all begin?

The history of video games goes as far back as the early 1950s, when academic computer scientists began designing simple games and simulations as part of their research or just for fun.

Then in the 1960s, professors and students at M.I.T played games such as 3D tic-tac-toe and Moon Landing where moves were made by means of punch cards.

Video gaming did not reach mainstream popularity until the 1970s and 1980s, when video arcade games and gaming consoles using joysticks, buttons, and other controllers were introduced to the public.

This era also saw graphics on computer screens and home computer games that transformed the way we played games, including the popular game Pong and various clones.

During the 1980s, gaming computers, early online gaming and handheld LCD games emerged, but progression was stunted by the video game crash in 1983 which saw a large-scale recession of the video games industry.

The crash was attributed to several factors, including market saturation in the number of game consoles and available games, and waning interest in console games in favour of personal computers.

The 1990s saw the resurgence and decline of arcades, the transition to 3D video games, improved handheld games, and PC gaming with the rise of 8-bit units that gradually made way for 16, 32, and 64-bit models.

During the 2000s, online gaming and mobile games became major aspects of gaming culture. This era was marked by huge development budgets for some games, with some having cinematic graphics; the launch of the top-selling Wii console, in which the user could control the game actions with real-life movement of the controller; the rise of casual PC games marketed to non-gamers; and the emergence of cloud computing in video games.

In 2013, the eighth generation of consoles emerged, including Nintendo’s Wii U and Nintendo 3DS, Microsoft’s Xbox One, and Sony’s PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita.

PC continues to hold a large market, and since the development and widespread consumer use of smartphones, mobile gaming has been a driving factor for games.

But what’s next for the gaming industry? There are innovations being developed constantly, and the sky really is the limit…Or is it?

You can hire gaming equipment for your next event – want to learn more? Contact ITR today.