Battlezone, released in 1980, the first popular video game to feature 3D graphics, was a technological breakthrough
at a time when simple 2D games like
Space Invaders were the norm. The player controls a tank, in first-person perspective, on a mechanized battlefield against enemy forces equipped with tanks and guided missiles. It is the direct ancestor of every
First-Person Shooter, and the US Army even commissioned a customized variant to train its tank troops. Surviving consoles of the game are still very popular with collectors today.
For the 1998 FPS/RTS game and its sequel
loosely based on this, click
here.
1980 version provides examples of: