Video Games
1973 When was the first time a well-known word or phrase was used in print? FirstMention.com explores the history and origins of famous people and places, and of popular phrases, companies, brand names, products and ideas, along with familiar words and sayings. These days, it's Warcraft XXVII, Call of Duty 17, Halo 1-3 and counting, and Guitar Hero, the Hendrix Experience. But remember when the world was ruled by the likes of Pong? Space Invaders? Pac-Man? Way back when Atari was king of the hill, and Tricky Dick was getting impeached? The FirstMention of video games harks back to 1973. December 5, 1973, to be exact, when the Los Angeles Times ran this ad. The games had already been a hit in bars and on college campuses (and in bars on college campuses), but this looks to be the first time the term video games appears in print. Unless, of course, you want to count this 1950 appearance. Early in 1974, the games were busting out all over the place, and video arcades were beginning to make their mark. In case you're interested in a bit more information, here are some links to the history of video games, and to some of the latest developments:
For starters, here's the ever-reliable (Yes! I said 'reliable') Wikipedia entry on Video Games, covering history, genres, technology, and so on.
Here's Amazon's take on the best video games of 2007.
And if you want a peek under the covers of video game technology, see the How Stuff Works page on video games. That's enough for now, I've got to get back on the Wii and brush up my tennis game. Know of an earlier FirstMention? Drop us a line at david@firstmention.com New from FirstMention. Search old newspaper archives for free...History at your fingertips. When was the first time a well-known word or phrase was used in print? FirstMention.com explores the history and origins of famous people and places, and of popular phrases, companies, brand names, products and ideas, along with familiar words and sayings. |