The earliest computer games emerged in the 1950s, not the 1970s
The first computer game was OXO (also called Noughts and Crosses), created by Alexander S. Douglas in 1952 as part of his PhD thesis on human-computer interaction. It was a tic-tac-toe game that ran on the EDSAC, one of the earliest stored-program computers in Britain. A player could compete against the machine, which used a straightforward algorithm to decide its moves.
However, Tennis for Two, built by physicist William Higinbotham in 1958, is often called the first video game because it was the first to display graphics on a screen. Higinbotham created it on an oscilloscope at Brookhaven National Laboratory as entertainment for visitors during an open house. Two players controlled paddles to hit a ball back and forth across a small screen — the same concept that would later define Pong.
The gap between these two games shows why "first" depends on how you define the term. If you mean the first program written to be a game, it was OXO. If you mean the first game with a visual display, it was Tennis for Two. If you mean the first arcade game sold to the public, that was Computer Space in 1971, followed by Pong in 1972.
Key Takeaways
- OXO, created in 1952, was the first computer game — a tic-tac-toe program that let a human player compete against the machine.
- Tennis for Two, built in 1958, was the first game to display graphics on a screen, using an oscilloscope to show a straightforward ball-and-paddle game.
- Computer Space (1971) and Pong (1972) were the first games sold in arcades, which is why many people mistakenly believe one of these was the first computer game ever made.
- Early computer games ran on university and laboratory machines that cost thousands of dollars and filled entire rooms, not on personal computers.
Why OXO and Tennis for Two were forgotten for decades
OXO and Tennis for Two disappeared from public memory because they ran on machines that were not designed for entertainment. EDSAC was a research computer at Cambridge University, and the oscilloscope at Brookhaven was a scientific instrument. Neither machine was built to play games, and neither was available to the public. The programs were demonstrations, not products.
When Pong arrived in 1972, it was the first game designed from the start to be played in arcades by paying customers. Arcade owners could buy the cabinet, plug it in, and collect coins. That visibility — the machine sitting in a bar or pizza restaurant where anyone could see it — made Pong feel like the beginning of video games to the people who played it. The earlier games existed in labs and university basements, so they left no cultural footprint.
What made early computer games possible
Computer games required two things: a machine fast enough to run a program and a display that could show the result. In the 1950s, computers were so slow and expensive that using one to play a game seemed wasteful. EDSAC took up an entire room and cost more than a house. Running tic-tac-toe on it was a proof of concept, not a practical use.
The oscilloscope in Tennis for Two was a lucky accident. Higinbotham needed a way to show the game on something, and the oscilloscope — a tool for displaying electrical signals — could draw lines and dots fast enough to create the illusion of movement. This was not the intended purpose of the machine, but it worked. Later, arcade cabinets used cathode-ray tubes (the same technology as old television sets) to display games, which is why early arcade games looked the way they did.
The jump from laboratory games to arcade games
Between Tennis for Two in 1958 and Pong in 1972, computers became smaller and cheaper, but they were still not in homes. The breakthrough was the arcade cabinet — a coin-operated machine that contained a computer, a display, and controls, all in a box small enough to fit in a public space.
Computer Space, released in 1971, was the first arcade game. It was based on a game called Spacewar!, which MIT students had written in 1962 for the PDP-1, another room-sized research computer. Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney took the concept, simplified it, and put it in an arcade cabinet. It did not sell well, but it proved the idea could work. Pong, released the next year, was simpler and more intuitive, and it became a massive success.
Pong's success created the arcade game industry. Within a few years, dozens of companies were making arcade games, and the machines were everywhere. This is why most people think Pong was the first — it was the first that mattered commercially, and the first that most people ever saw.
How computer games evolved after the arcade era
Arcade games dominated the late 1970s and early 1980s, but the real shift came when personal computers became affordable. The Apple II (1977), the Commodore 64 (1982), and the IBM PC (1981) brought computing into homes. Game developers could now write games for machines that ordinary people owned, rather than machines in arcades or laboratories.
Home computers led to home consoles. The Atari 2600 (1977) was the first successful home video game console, and it made gaming a household activity. Games like Space Invaders, Pac-Man, and Asteroids moved from arcades to living rooms. By the 1990s, personal computers were powerful enough to run complex games, and the internet made it possible to play against other people online.
Why the definition of "first" matters
Asking when the first computer game was made seems like a straightforward question, but the answer depends on what you count as a game. Is it a program written to be played, even if only by scientists? Is it a game with graphics on a screen? Is it a game sold to the public? Is it a game that became popular?
Historians and game developers do not all agree. Some say OXO, some say Tennis for Two, some say Spacewar!, and some say Pong. Each answer is correct for a different reason. What matters is understanding that computer games did not start with Pong — Pong was the first game that made money and reached a mass audience, which is why it stuck in people's minds.
Frequently Asked Questions
Was Pong really the first computer game?
No. Pong (1972) was the first arcade game to become commercially successful and widely known, but OXO (1952) and Tennis for Two (1958) came before it. Pong felt like the beginning because it was the first game most people could actually play in public.
What was Spacewar! and why is it important?
Spacewar! was a game written by MIT students in 1962 for the PDP-1 computer. It was the first game to spread between different computers — students at other universities copied the code and ran it on their own machines. It proved that games could be shared and played on different hardware, which influenced later arcade and home games.
Could you play these early games at home?
No. OXO ran on EDSAC, which was locked in a university computer lab. Tennis for Two ran on an oscilloscope at a research facility. Spacewar! ran on expensive university computers. Home gaming did not begin until the Atari 2600 console arrived in 1977, and personal computers became affordable in the late 1970s and 1980s.
Why did it take so long for games to reach the public?
Computers were extremely expensive and rare. A machine that could run a game in the 1950s or 1960s cost tens of thousands of dollars and filled a room. It was not until arcade cabinets made gaming machines affordable and portable that games could be placed where people could play them for a quarter.
What made Pong so much more successful than Computer Space?
Pong was simpler and easier to understand. Computer Space required players to learn controls and understand the game's rules. Pong was tennis — anyone who had ever played tennis or watched it understood what was happening when ready. Simplicity, combined with good timing and better marketing, made Pong the game that changed everything.