The late 1970s and early 1980s were notable for many social and technological changes. One which doesn’t necessarily make the top of the list when such advances are discussed is the humble computer game. On reflection, maybe this is an unfair omission. Gaming has become such a ubiquitous and integral part of many peoples’ daily lives that it’s sometimes difficult to remember a time when it wasn’t around basket168.
There were two strands which were key to the development of online gaming as we know it today. The first was the growth of what became known as “Arcade Games”. The Fruit Machine or “One-Armed Bandit” had been commonplace in pubs, bars and penny arcades for many years but, from the late ’70’s, this familiar institution was joined, and in many cases supplanted, by the Games Console. Space Invaders, Galaxians and their many close cousins were suddenly everywhere. The motive for playing was not the chance of winning an elusive jackpot. Rather customers were paying for the sheer fun of playing the game, pitting your wits and reflexes against the machine and generally having fun. Not surprisingly, the manufacturers of these machines began to introduce domestic versions of these games which plugged directly into the family TV so that the same experience could be enjoyed at home.
At about the same time, machines like the Spectrum and Commodore C64 introduced simple and affordable home computers to a wide market. Games became more sophisticated and more varied. No longer just the simple, 2D shoot ’em up over in minutes packages (although these still had their devotees) but more sophisticated strategic and involving games began to appear. Platforms such as Nintendo and Playstation now began to hit the market. These consoles didn’t pretend to be anything other than games machines but they took home gaming to the next level.
It was the second strand, the growth of the internet through the 1990s, that made the quantum leap to online gaming possible. Suddenly, the humble games console had become a portal to a virtual community of like-minded players across the world.