The video game industry turned 81 years old in 2021
Here are the defining moments of the past, and what we can expect in the future.
1940: The first “video game” debuts at the New York World’s Fair.
1967: The experimental “Brown Box” console allows for play on TV sets.
1972: Magnavox launces the Odyssey console. Atari launces Pong
1977: Atari releases the Video Computer System, or Atari 2600.
1983: Games saturate the home entertainment market, highlighted by Atari’s E.T.
1985: The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) launches. A star is born.
1988: Real world characters enter games, sparking the Madden football series.
1989: Sega launces Genesis, Nintendo launces Gameboy. Console wars begin.
1992: The Entertainment Software Rating Board is born. Games rated like movies.
1994: Sony releases PlayStation, gaming graphics grow to new levels.
1999: Sega releases the Dreamcast which allows for online gameplay.
2001: Microsoft launces Xbox, Sega consoles are on the ropes.
2003: PC players begin streaming
2006: Nintendo launches the Wii. Gaming becomes physical.
2009: Mobile games begin taking a foothold
2010: eSports explodes in popularity.
2011: Fortnite begins as internal development at Epic Games
2012: Oculus begins Kickstarter campaign to build its VR business
2016: Global video game industry hits a $100 billion valuation
2018: Over 100 billion mobile games downloaded via app stores
2020: Pandemic hits, sales of video games and accessories reach all-time highs
2021: TCI Entertainment enters gaming-commerce market with patented tech
2022: ?
The next big stamp on the timeline could be the full introduction of social in-game commerce where gamers can shop, buy and sell real-world products.
The patented technology from TCI Entertainment could fuse the $150 billion gaming industry with the $10.3 trillion eCommerce industry creating a new $21 trillion investment class.
SOURCE: https://learn.stash.com/defining-moments-in-video-game-history-a-timeline
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