Alan Kotok, pioneer in computer video games, dies

As a member of a small group of MIT students in the early 1960s, Kotok helped create the first video game program.
The New York Times

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[Mykas9]

Chuck Moore coded spacewar

I recall reading that Forth Guru Chuck Moore coded 'SpaceWar' back in the day...

[nightveil]

Russell...

Steve Russell came up with the idea for Spacewar and wrote the
original code. This according to "The First Quarter" by Steven L.
Kent (2000, BWD Press, ISBN 0-9704755-0-0). The nature of the
group was such that other members may have written code for
the project as well.

The issue of Ralph Baer is sticky. Baer certainly created the
basics for Pong and Magnavox released the Odyssey product
using his technology. Spacewar was, however, the first "arcade"
game ever created.

Nolan Bushnell used Russell's design for a stand-up "Spacewar"
game prior to work on Pong. Unfortunately, Bushnell failed
realize that players weren't ready for mult-page or multi-screen
instructions. This, plus the overall complexity of "Spacewar",
doomed the game to failure.

[fakespam]

Who?

Ralph Baer created video games, as this Kotok guy would have
something to do with mainframe games, which ended with the
death of the text adventure game.

For more info:

<a class="jive-link-external" href="http://www.classicgaming.com/museum/odyssey/index.shtml" target="_newWindow">http://www.classicgaming.com/museum/odyssey/index.shtml</a>

and

<a class="jive-link-external" href="http://www.pong-story.com/" target="_newWindow">http://www.pong-story.com/</a>

I don't know what video game "history" has against Ralph Baer,
but he is acknowledged in the Ultimate History of Video Games
by Steve Kent and in various Nintendo Power and EGM issues.

Again, CNET you get facts wrong.

[nightveil]

Baer's contributions...

Nobody is making light of Ralph Baer or his contributions to the
industry.

What seems to be a sticking point is that the Odyssey was a home
system (definitely a first) and Spacewar was eventually turned in to
a stand-up "arcade" game by Nolan Bushnell. Prior to this, nobody
called them "video games". In essence, Spacewar was the first video
game.

[rawker]

William Higinbotham

William Higinbotham Created the first video game, back in 1958. Called tennis for two (google it)