by Tyler Cobb

Created on: June 24, 2008

The new millennium has brought with it many things that our ancestors would deem impossible. From hybrid cars, to robot vacuum cleaners, to Blu-ray and HD. But let us reminisce about the days of old. A time when a nickel could take you down to the local convenience store and buy you a pack of baseball cards. A time when an arcade wasn't just a gimmick. Let me take you for a walk down memory lane.

Until 1971, you could only fine arcade games at the local fair and they came in the form of the ball toss, or the fortune telling booth. By the 1930's, the first pinball machines found their way into the heartland of America, but they only used mechanical scoring. Finally in 1971, a few Stanford students attempted to remake the popular computer game "Spacewar!" into a coin operated version. They succeeded and "Galaxy Game" was created. With a little tinkering, they released the first mass produced coin operated video game. Enter "Computer Space". The game was the first of its kind by nearly 6 months. It was played on a 15' General Electric vacuum tube system. As the news that this "arcade game" had made its way into bars all over the country, another company was taking note and waiting for their chance.

Atari was formed in 1972 by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney. They revolutionized the coin operated video game market with their smash hit Pong. Pong was a ping pong game that was simple and fun to play. They tested the game in a few local bars and determined the need for more. By the end of 1973, there were 8000 to 10000 units all around the united states. This led to the opening of "corner arcades" in grocery stores and bars. The sucessfulness of Pong led to many more games by 1980. Games such as Space Invaders, Galaxian, Pac-Man, Battlezone, and Donkey Kong were common names in these downtown arcades.

During the late 70's and early 80's, restaruants such as Chuck E. Cheese and Dave and Busters began to bring in arcade games. By the late 80's, arcades were deemed as unsafe places. This combined with the evolution of home gaming led to the demise of the coin operated video game. A small resurgance happened with the advent of two player fighting games such as Street Fighter.

By 1996, home systems and computers were miles ahead technologically. The arcade systems had no choice but to buckle under the pressure. Many systems were removed from across the nation. Today, arcades are thought of as social hangout spots, with specially designed controllers that aren't easily obtainable at home with games such as Dance Dance Revolution that focus on the individuals talents rather than the games content. Online arcades can now be found with famous titles like Pac-Man, Pong, and Donkey Kong.

As we witness the vastly changing world around us, it is important to take a look back at what we used to know and love. The creation of the arcade game opened up the flood gates to the video gaming community we know today.

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