In 1972, “Pong,” the first commercially successful video game, was released. It is considered the “grandfather” of gaming, but the table tennis game was not the first video game ever created. Another game came about almost 15 years before Pong and has an amazing history.
What was the first video game? “Tennis for Two” is generally considered the first video game. It was designed for two players and was intended to simulate a game of tennis. The game ran on an analog computer and used an oscilloscope as the screen. These devices can be used to visualize electrical signals.
“Tennis for Two” was exhibited at the Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) Visitors Days on October 18, 1958. Normally, research in the laboratory mainly focuses on nuclear and energy physics. However, hundreds of visitors are said to have lined up to test a game on this occasion.
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From nuclear weapons to video games
Who developed the first video game? “Tennis for Two” was created by nuclear physicist William Higinbotham. In the early 1940s, Higinbotham worked on radar systems at the MIT Radiation Laboratory. To do this, a method had to be developed to display radio waves bouncing back from distant targets.
During World War II, Higinbotham was recruited into the Manhattan Project – yes, the Manhattan Project, where the first nuclear weapons were developed under the direction of Robert Oppenheimer. Higinbotham led a team that created the electronic triggers for the first atomic bombs.
However, the researcher had ethical concerns and, by his own admission, was not proud of his involvement. In 1945, the physicist joined the Federation of American Scientists (FAS), an association of scientists who campaigned against nuclear weapons. Higinbotham became the first general secretary of the FAS.
How did this development come about? In 1947, Higinbotham began working for the BNL, which was committed to the responsible and peaceful use of nuclear energy. There the physicist worked on analog computers.
The idea for “Tennis for Two” came to Higinbotham while reading the instruction manual for one of the lab’s new computers. It described how various curves could be displayed on the CRT display of an oscilloscope.
Among the examples the instructions provided were the trajectories of a bullet, a rocket – and a bouncing ball. This bouncing ball reminded the researcher of a game of tennis and prompted him to invent the first video game.
Physicist laid the foundation for video games in just a few hours
How did “Tennis for Two” come about? As Higinbotham later recalled, it took him about two hours to come up with the basic design. A few days later, the physicist teamed up with Robert Dvorak, the lab’s technician, who assembled the device in about three weeks.
They both took the time to test “Tennis for Two” extensively – after all, it was designed for two players – and the first video game was born. According to the official BNL website, the construction plans are still in the possession of the laboratory today.
In 1959, “Tennis for Two” received what was probably the first major update in video game history: Instead of the original 5-inch screen, a larger display with a diameter of 10 to 17 inches (approx. 43 cm) was used. Players could also choose between different variations of tennis – on the moon, with low gravity, or on Jupiter, with increased gravity.
Almost 15 years after “Tennis for Two”, the table tennis game “Pong” followed, which is considered the first commercially successful video game. You can find out more about the history of Pong here.
Some people see the players competing in “Tennis for Two” at the Brookhaven National Laboratory open house as the first competitive esports match. However, the first major tournament was still a few years away. You can find out more about the history of e-sports here:
What was the first e-sports tournament and who is considered the first professional player?