HT Games
No single "inventor"; video games evolved through key milestones:
| Year | Game / Device | Creator(s) | Significance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1947 | Cathode-Ray Tube Amusement Device | Thomas T. Goldsmith Jr. & Estle Ray Mann | First patent for interactive electronic game (analog, missile sim). |
| 1958 | Tennis for Two | William Higinbotham | First graphical game on oscilloscope (Brookhaven Lab); 2-player tennis. |
| 1962 | Spacewar! | Steve Russell, MIT Tech Model Railroad Club | First digital computer game widely distributed (PDP-1); two-ship dogfight. |
| 1971 | Computer Space | Nolan Bushnell & Ted Dabney (Syzygy) | First commercial arcade video game (Spacewar! clone). |
| 1972 | Pong | Allan Alcorn (Atari, under Bushnell) | First mass-market arcade hit; launched industry. |
| 1972 | Magnavox Odyssey | Ralph Baer (Sanders Associates) | First home video game console; cartridge-like "game cards". |
| 1978 | Space Invaders | Tomohiro Nishikado (Taito) | Global phenomenon; microprocessor arcade; high score tables. |
| 1980 | Pac-Man | Toru Iwatani (Namco) | First character-driven game; mainstream cultural icon. |
Each built on predecessors; the "invention" is a continuum.