Computer Space

Computer Space is a computer arcade game released in 1971 by Nutting Associates. Created by Nolan Bushnell, who would later found Atari, it is generally regarded as the first ever coin-operated video game.

Related Topics:
Computer - Arcade game - 1971 - Nutting Associates - Nolan Bushnell - Atari

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The player controls a rocket ship and must evade enemy fire from a pair of flying saucers using a thruster and a pair of rotational buttons. The flying saucers can be destroyed by firing missiles at them.

Related Topics:
Rocket ship - Flying saucer

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As the Videotopia exhibition points out, previous efforts in bringing the experience of "Spacewar" to a mass market centered around the minicomputer paradigm of the college campuses where it originated - that of a central computer distributing software to various remote terminals. Computer Space was innovative for establishing the basic form of all arcade games to come - that of a dedicated computing device built to play only that one game.

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It was the first widely available video and arcade game, although Computer Space was not a success. For many, the gameplay was too complicated to grasp quickly. While it fared well on college campuses, it was not very popular in bars and other venues where it was placed. Bushnell later recruited Al Alcorn and created a sensation with the much easier to grasp Pong arcade game modeled off of Ralph Baer's Odyssey home system's Tennis game.

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Separate cabinets were produced for either single player games or two player games in various colors.

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