Video game history 50's to 70's

58 years since the first game was made by a guy called A.S Douglas in 1952. He made the first ever video game. A version of tic-tac-toe named ‘OXO’. I found this video on Youtube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pkiwn7u8i8s&feature=related ) which is a version of what it looked like but isn’t. It’s from an emulator on windows vista not from machine that it was originally on. From watching the video I thought the game looked really boring it looks like some math game. But reading up on it made me think,” Hey wait a minute this is kind of like the first real intelligence from a computer.” You play against a computer. And I kind of see why people would enjoy it, because it was a sense of whose better, me or the machine? I like this idea it kind of reminds me of the video Chris showed us. It’s kind of like the beginning of a war between whose better man, or machine that has forever been going in games that need to be played against a computer. Even in games like Assassins Creed (Yes I know, I love Assassins Creed ^_^) I love in Assassins Creed where you have to time your attacks to defeat your enemies I love how you face the computer in a dual to see whose better, ending in a dramatic death. I guess this is the same with this game apart from the dramatic ending, but instead an inside feeling of “Yes! Come on!”  

The second game was a multiplayer game called ‘Tennis For Two’ in 1958. It was programmed on a EDSAC Vaccuum-tube computer (I have no idea what that is) by a man named William Higinbotham, but anyways it’s basically a light of a tennis court with a green dot as the ball and you have to use these knobs to turn to go up and down and then press a button to hit the ball/ light back. It actually looks really fun just because from the video I’ve seen (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6mu5B-YZU8&feature=related). From what I can tell basically you can’t see where your hitting the ball from I don’t understand how you know where you are in the game to hit the ball back. In a way, seems like a hardcore way to play tennis. I really do like how the first two games in history that I’ve found are so completely different from each other. All games these days seem to be so alike it’s insane, so many types of shooters, RPG’s etc. I guess before in those years they didn’t have genres for games.

In 1970’s the first ever arcade game was created by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney later to be founders of Atari computers. It was called computer space. Which was based on the game called Spacewar! To me games like this really don’t interest me. I find games like Space Invaders and games like that really boring yet playing an fps game doesn’t, which in a sense is where all shooting games come from.  Thought to be honest my interest in shooting games has only started since the ps3. Before I was interested in games like:

Chaos legion

Tomb raider

Grand Theft Auto

BMX XXX (loved the ragdoll bails)

Though no matter what, games are designed for fun. It doesn’t really matter who created the first game or who thought we can use computers for fun. Seeing as there are so many arguments about who started it. Then, to me it doesn’t matter. As long as games exist, people like us are here, to create them and to have dreams.

About me!

Hey, Well I’m Russell (Russ for short) or other wise known as russ_XD (on PS3).

I’m from a town called Corby which is near Northampton.

I basically choose this course for obvious reasons. I got asked when I was in sixth for what I wanted to be. My honest answer was I don’t know I just really enjoy playing games really but I doubt I can get a job for that. I also got asked “well what subjects do you like?” And I said “I love doing art, it feels freer because it’s your own personal style you’re making when you do it.” And eventually being a game artist got brought up.  It sounded so cool. So basically I looked in to it I loved the concept art for uncharted and I loved the work of Kekai Kotaki from Guildwars. Also at the time I loved playing Burnout Paradise and they each week made a podcast called crash TV and on their one of the leading game artist that works for criterion games talked about what it takes to be a game artist and from there on I was hooked I knew what I wanted to be! This was the only course near me as well so I thought great I’ll go for it. I didn’t even know it was the best course for it in the country so I guess I’m pretty lucky there.

My ambitions for this year is to improve my art to as best as I can. And continue to improve all through my life.  This course isn’t about being the best in the class and being put down by others because their work is amazing. I think we should be inspired by it. And by the end of the day/ course we have to be as good as the people other work in the industry and that’s what I want to aim for to be as good as them! In the future I want to have my work shown on the art section of games like in uncharted, and MAG and games like that. 

My other interests that trying not to include games are: music, (I love Linkin Park and bands like that), I watch some Animes (like darker than black, Full metal alchemist). Love watching films. And I also do some videos about games. Like: Dancing VIP’s in SOCOM, odd little montages and races on BFBC2. I’ll leave a link to one of my videos

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6nFZeZmbK8k

I’m not really sure where I want to go in the industry after this course I hope to find this out during the course and what I’m best at. But anyways I looked up on Google and saw this which I thought looks cool. http://www.gamesrecruit.co.uk/JobDetail.aspx?id=13948  it’s an Environment artist. The only problem with it is that I need 2 years of experience working under ps3 or other groups.  But it just sounds cool. Like it says “Role for an experienced environment artist on a high production values game for PS3. To work with lead environment artist in a focused and talented team of no more than 8 artists. Will maintain ownership of large level sections, from pre-production, through outsourcing to final internal polish” I like the idea of working in a small group. I would also like to be a concept artist but, I think I’m going to become more of a 3D modeller because it seems more like a nature skill to me.

I believe I could get this job though if I was to work hard throughout the course and into any job that first hands its self to me in the industry for the first two years.

I'f the bottum part comes out in caps I dunno why mike it isn't like that when I wrote it its just posting it like that. Please don't kill me if it is!