Games · 1972
1972: The Birth of Commercial Gaming
In 1972, interactive entertainment moved from university computer labs into living rooms and public venues. With the launch of the Magnavox Odyssey and Atari's smash arcade hit Pong, video games truly entered mainstream culture.
- Sept 1972 | Home Console | USA
Magnavox Odyssey
Ralph Baer's brown box vision becomes reality as the world's very first commercial home video game console hits store shelves.
- Nov 1972 | Arcade | Atari
Pong
Allan Alcorn creates an addictive table tennis arcade game whose instant popularity causes the prototype cabinet's coin mechanism to overflow.
- June 1972 | Industry | California
Founding of Atari, Inc.
Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney incorporate Atari, establishing the legendary company that would define the early coin-op video game industry.
- 1972 | Mainframe | Text Adventure
Hunt the Wumpus
Gregory Yob codes a classic text-based cave crawler where players navigate dodecahedral rooms to hunt a deadly monster while avoiding pit traps.
- 1972 | HP 2000 BASIC | Mainframe
Star Trek
Mike Mayfield writes a hugely influential text-based strategy game allowing players to command the USS Enterprise on a grid map to fight Klingons.
- 1972 | PLATO IV | Multiplayer
Empire (PLATO IV)
Silas Warner creates one of the earliest tactical multiplayer space combat games on the newly launched PLATO IV mainframe system.
- 1972 | Hardware | Magnavox
Shooting Gallery Light Gun
Released alongside the Odyssey, this plastic shotgun peripheral becomes the very first commercial light gun accessory for home video games.
- Sept 1972 | Magnavox Odyssey | Sports
Table Tennis (Odyssey)
Serving as the packaged hardware showcase for the Odyssey, this simple two-player electronic game directly inspired the creation of Atari's Pong.
Enjoyed your trip back in time?