Most gamers are casual and may not be too obsessed with how the games are made and how the industry developed, so when you play the latest Xbox title you might not be thinking about those people whose innovations laid the work for modern gaming.
We think it’s good to take a trip down memory lane and celebrate some of the most important figures in gaming history. Innovation is harder now with technology becoming so impressive, but there are some amazing figures just about every gamer may owe a little debt of gratitude!
Tim Berners-Lee
Tim may not have set out to be a gaming pioneer specifically, so you might wonder why Tim Berners-Lee, the inventor of the World Wide Web, is included – while Berners-Lee did not create video games, his invention of the internet in 1989 totally changed the gaming landscape. Possibly the most impressive generational development we’ve seen as a human race in a long time, imagine a world without the internet.
Berners-Lee’s internet enabled the simple digital distribution of games, and for people to play against each other on platforms like Steam. The web made it all possible, and though the noisy modems of the past couldn’t handle much, tech has come a long way since then and even phones and consoles are able to play games on high-speed connections.
All gaming technology created since the internet became mainstream has been made with digital online connections in mind. All of the main modern consoles allow people to play online and buy games online.
The British computer scientist changed everything in most peoples’ lives, and gaming was never his focus but it is certainly a side-effect of the impact his invention had on everybody’s lives. He won the Turing Award in his 60s and a significant prize in the process.
Ralph Baer
A household name? No, but Ralph Baer is often hailed as the father of video games. In the late 1960s, Baer and his team developed the “Brown Box,” (unfortunate name) the first home video game console, which later became the Magnavox Odyssey (which is a much better name).
Not every gamer realizes that this pioneering work paved the way for the home gaming revolution. Baer’s vision of interactive entertainment in the living room was a game-changer for the industry and made the concept of gaming at home a bit more mainstream. Loads of challenges were still ahead for consoles and gaming, and the Magnavox Odyssey was really expensive which was one of the prohibitive factors for players.
Baer is often credited with inventing video games so there is no denying the influence he had.
Nolan Bushnell
A guy with a similar story to Baers, and a real visionary. Nolan Bushnell co-founded Atari, a company that became a huge name in arcade gaming and is still celebrated today – remember Atari’s “Pong” which was one of the first commercially successful video games?
Atari captivated players and sparked the arcade gaming scene of the 1970s and 80s. His entrepreneurial spirit and the way the company pushed technology forward mean he deserves a mention on this list.
Strangely, Bushnell was involved in another really significant business venture and co-founded Chuck E. Cheese’s Pizza Time Theatre chain as well. A strange combo, but it worked for him!
John Carmack
Carmack is another name that may not be mentioned all the time by YouTubers and gaming commentators but John’s contributions to the gaming industry are nothing short of revolutionary. Co-founder of id Software, Carmack was the programmer behind genre-defining titles Doom and Quake which both pushed the boundaries of what 90s tech could do.
His work in 3D graphics and game engines laid the groundwork for modern first-person shooters plus real-time 3D rendering, and the sort of technology you will see on modern YouTube videos.
Carmack’s technical prowess helped elevate video games to a new level of visual fidelity and immersive experience, influencing and helping countless developers and titles – basically, gamers who have played any title since the 1990s have probably come across the fingerprints of Carmack’s revolutionary work.
Gabe Newell
Gabe Newell is the co-founder of Valve Corporation and has had a profound impact on the gaming industry through the creation of the Steam platform.
Steam revolutionized the way games are distributed and played. Developers now had a way to connect to their fans and get to a global audience directly.
Through Steam, Newell’s vision transformed the gaming industry, making it easier for indie developers to publish their games, and players to access all their games in one online location.
Newell made himself a billionaire through the gaming industry and plenty of modern gamers are aware of him and his work.
Conclusion
Who is going to be next to take gaming to another level? Revolution in this industry can happen pretty quickly and the stars of this list (some of whom are not the most well-known in terms of clout) have first-hand experience of doing important things for the gaming business and the sorts of games that are available today.
References
Image Source:Unsplash
This post was created in partnership with Acceleron Media.
