From Atari to Wii: The Boom in Gaming

From Atari to Wii: The Boom in Gaming

The growth in gaming has been exponential, and with new developments in gaming, the growth will continue to soar. This makes gaming more than a lot of fun; it makes it a perfect industry in which to pursue a career. Many colleges, like Westwood College Online, even offer online degrees in gaming as a great way to jump start a career in this ever-changing field. Understanding the gaming industry today means going back to when the first video game was pioneered.

In 1952, a man named A.S. Douglas decided to experiment with a new invention called a "computer," an incredibly advanced concept in the 1950s. Unintentionally, he created the first video game, called Noughts and Crosses. It ran on a huge computer called the E.D.S.A.C., and although no one actually played it, it paved the way for a little known programmer named Nolan Bushnell. Nolan Bushnell went on to start Atari. Bushnell himself is responsible for today's huge video game industry, making billions of dollars every year. This is the long-wound history of today's booming video game industry.

The Start of Atari

In 1972, a little known programmer named Nolan Bushnell left his work as a programmer for Nutting Associates, a pre-Atari video game system that he thought was not functional. Finding the Odyssey uninteresting, Bushnell left the company and started his own company. Bushnell first settled on the name Syzygy. Unfortunately for Bushnell, that name was already taken by a roofing company, so he named it Atari.

After Atari became the official name, Bushnell hired Al Alcorn to program games for Atari. Alcorn was inexperienced, so Bushnell assigned him to program a simple tennis game. This game was named Pong. After its release, Atari became a household name.

Nintendo Steps In