History VideoGame / Spacewar

* OneHitPointWonder: Both ships. Later ports would often give the ships [[SubsystemDamage]] if it on certain locations (one hit would reduce maneuverability destroying part of the ship, two would destroy the ship's engines and leave it with no capacity to thrust or maneuver, and the last one would finally destroy it).

* OneHitPointWonder: Both ships.

* TheSixties

* ExcitedShowTitle: The full title according to TheOtherWiki is ''Spacewar!''

* ShootEmUp: Maybe the UrExample, depends [[SpaceInvaders on how you define the genre.]]

One of the earliest video games, ''Spacewar!'' was developed on the [[UsefulNotes/MainframesAndMinicomputers PDP-1 computer]] at MIT in 1962, fifteen years before TheGoldenAgeOfVideoGames. It was also an important early prototype of computer graphics techniques that later became standard in the industry.

Ten years later, two electrical engineer/computer science student/entrepreneur by the names of Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney adapted a clone of the game and developed it into the world's first coin-operated arcade video game, called ''VideoGame/ComputerSpace''. The game was a commercial flop, but the company they founded, Creator/{{Atari}}, became one of the main driving forces behind TheGoldenAgeOfVideoGames. One of Atari's early successes, ''VideoGame/{{Asteroids}}'', borrowed ''Spacewar!'''s ships and mechanics, and adapted the game for one player by setting the battle in [[TheAsteroidThicket an asteroid field]]. In 1978, Atari ported ''Spacewar!'' itself to the [[UsefulNotes/{{Atari 2600}} 2600]] game console. Another company, Cinematronics, adapted the game in 1977 as ''Space Wars'', the first VectorGame.

Ten years later, two electrical engineer/computer science student/entrepreneur by the names of Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney adapted a clone of the game and developed it into the world's first coin-operated arcade video game, called ''VideoGame/ComputerSpace''. The game was a commercial flop, but the company they founded, Creator/{{Atari}}, became one of the main driving forces behind TheGoldenAgeOfVideoGames. One of Atari's early successes, ''{{Asteroids}}'', borrowed ''Spacewar!'''s ships and mechanics, and adapted the game for one player by setting the battle in [[TheAsteroidThicket an asteroid field]]. In 1978, Atari ported ''Spacewar!'' itself to the [[UsefulNotes/{{Atari 2600}} 2600]] game console. Another company, Cinematronics, adapted the game in 1977 as ''Space Wars'', the first VectorGame.

One of the earliest video games, '''''Spacewar!''''' was developed on the [[UsefulNotes/MainframesAndMinicomputers PDP-1 computer]] at MIT in 1962, fifteen years before TheGoldenAgeOfVideoGames. It was also an important early prototype of computer graphics techniques that later became standard in the industry.

* {{Two-D Space}}

You can play the original ''Spacewar!'' on the web: http://spacewar.oversigma.com or you go to [[http://www.computerhistory.org/hours/ the Computer History Museum]] in Mountain View, California (just south of SanFrancisco) and see a demonstration of the only PDP-1 still working (coincidentally that PDP-1 was the 55th and final one manufactured). If you're lucky, you might be able to play ''Spacewar!'' on that PDP-1 itself.

One of the earliest video games, '''''Spacewar!''''' was developed on the [[MainframesAndMinicomputers PDP-1 computer]] at MIT in 1962, fifteen years before TheGoldenAgeOfVideoGames. It was also an important early prototype of computer graphics techniques that later became standard in the industry.

* PlotWhatPlot

Ten years later, two electrical engineer/computer science student/entrepreneur by the names of Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney adapted a clone of the game and developed it into the world's first coin-operated arcade video game, called ''VideoGame/ComputerSpace''. The game was a commercial flop, but the company they founded, {{Atari}}, became one of the main driving forces behind TheGoldenAgeOfVideoGames. One of Atari's early successes, ''{{Asteroids}}'', borrowed ''Spacewar!'''s ships and mechanics, and adapted the game for one player by setting the battle in [[TheAsteroidThicket an asteroid field]]. In 1978, Atari ported ''Spacewar!'' itself to the [[UsefulNotes/{{Atari 2600}} 2600]] game console. Another company, Cinematronics, adapted the game in 1977 as ''Space Wars'', the first VectorGame.

Ten years later, two electrical engineer/computer science student/entrepreneur by the names of Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney adapted a clone of the game and developed it into the world's first coin-operated arcade video game, called ''VideoGame/ComputerSpace''. The game was a commercial flop, but the company they founded, {{Atari}}, became one of the main driving forces behind TheGoldenAgeOfVideoGames. One of Atari's early successes, ''{{Asteroids}}'', borrowed ''Spacewar!'''s ships and mechanics, and adapted the game for one player by setting the battle in [[TheAsteroidThicket an asteroid field]]. In 1978, Atari ported ''Spacewar!'' itself to the [[{{Atari 2600}} 2600]] game console. Another company, Cinematronics, adapted the game in 1977 as ''Space Wars'', the first VectorGame.

You can play the original ''Spacewar!'' on the web: http://spacewar.oversigma.com or you go to [[http://www.computerhistory.org/hours/ the San Francisco Computer History Museum]] and see a demonstration of the only PDP-1 still working (coincidentally that PDP-1 was the 55th and final one manufactured). If you're lucky, you might be able to play ''Spacewar!'' on that PDP-1 itself.

* ShootEmUp: The UrExample.

* CosmeticallyDifferentSides: The [[TropeMakers Trope Maker]].
* EveryBulletIsATracer: Another [[TropeMakers Trope Maker]].

* GameMod: The [[TropeMakers Trope Maker]]. Various programmers added features like realistic star map for background (dubbed the Expensive Planetarium), mines or cloaking devices.
* GravityScrew: The planet-type. Probably [[TropeMakers Trope Maker]].

* OneHitPointWonder: Both ships. Probably another [[TropeMakers Trope Maker]].

* WrapAround: The [[TropeMakers Trope Maker]].

The game pitted two players, each commanding [[CosmeticallyDifferentSides cosmetically different]] spaceships armed with torpedoes against each other around the gravity well of a planet. The ships and their torpedoes obeyed correct Newtonian physics (in [[{{Two-D Space}} two dimensions]]), and players navigated their ships by rotating them and applying thrust. [[OneHitPointWonder One hit]] would destroy each ship.

* Two-DSpace

Ten years later, an electrical engineer/computer science student/entrepreneur by the name of Nolan Bushnell adapted a clone of the game that he developed into the world's first coin-operated arcade video game, which he called ''VideoGame/ComputerSpace''. The game was a commercial flop, but the company he founded, {{Atari}}, became one of the main driving forces behind TheGoldenAgeOfVideoGames. One of Atari's early successes, ''{{Asteroids}}'', borrowed ''Spacewar!'''s ships and mechanics, and adapted the game for one player by setting the battle in [[TheAsteroidThicket an asteroid field]]. In 1978, Atari ported ''Spacewar!'' itself to the [[{{Atari 2600}} 2600]] game console. Another company, Cinematronics, adapted the game in 1977 as ''Space Wars'', the first VectorGame.

Ten years later, an electrical engineer/computer science student/entrepreneur by the name of Nolan Bushnell adapted a clone of the game that he developed into the world's first coin-operated arcade video game, which he called ''VideoGame/ComputerSpace''. The game was a commercial flop, but the company he founded, {{Atari}}, became one of the main driving forces behind TheGoldenAgeOfVideoGames. One of Atari's early successes, ''{{Asteroids}}'', borrowed ''Spacewar!'''s ships and mechanics, and adapted the game for one player by setting the battle in [[TheAsteroidThicket an asteroid field]]. In 1978, Atari ported ''Spacewar!'' itself to the [[{{Atari 2600}} 2600]] game console.

Ten years later, an electrical engineer/computer science student/entrepreneur by the name of Nolan Bushnell adapted a clone of the game that he developed into the world's first coin-operated arcade video game, which he called ''Computer Space''. The game was a commercial flop, but the company he founded, {{Atari}}, became one of the main driving forces behind TheGoldenAgeOfVideoGames. One of Atari's early successes, ''{{Asteroids}}'', borrowed ''Spacewar!'''s ships and mechanics, and adapted the game for one player by setting the battle in [[TheAsteroidThicket an asteroid field]]. In 1978, Atari ported ''Spacewar!'' itself to the {{Atari 2600}} game console.

http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/spacewar2_675.jpg One of the earliest video games, ''Spacewar'' was developed on the [[MainframesAndMinicomputers PDP-1 computer]] at MIT in 1962, fifteen years before TheGoldenAgeOfVideoGames. It was also an important early prototype of computer graphics techniques that later became standard in the industry.

The game quickly spread and by the beginning of 1963, any company or school who had the money to buy the PDP-1 (only 55 were ever manufactured, in the [[TheSixties 1960s]] that was an almost ridiculously large run) had a copy of ''Spacewar'' on it. In fact, by the end of the run of the computer, its manufacturer DEC had a copy pre-loaded on every new PDP-1. It was a good diagnostic of the computer and its display during factory testing, and even back then they saw the value of an entertainment program.

Ten years later, an electrical engineer/computer science student/entrepreneur by the name of Nolan Bushnell adapted a clone of the game that he developed into the world's first coin-operated arcade video game, which he called ''Computer Space''. The game was a commercial flop, but the company he founded, {{Atari}}, became one of the main driving forces behind TheGoldenAgeOfVideoGames. One of Atari's early successes, ''{{Asteroids}}'', borrowed ''Spacewar'''s ships and mechanics, and adapted the game for one player by setting the battle in [[TheAsteroidThicket an asteroid field]]. In 1978, Atari ported ''Spacewar'' itself to the {{Atari 2600}} game console.

You can play the original ''Spacewar'' on the web: http://spacewar.oversigma.com or you go to [[http://www.computerhistory.org/hours/ the San Francisco Computer History Museum]] and see a demonstration of the only PDP-1 still working (coincidentally that PDP-1 was the 55th and final one manufactured). If you're lucky, you might be able to play ''Spacewar'' on that PDP-1 itself.

!!''Spacewar'' provides examples of:

The game was created between 1961 and 1962 by a bunch of nerdy model railroad/computer enthusiasts that were students at MIT, lead by Steve "Slug" Russell, who is often given sole credit for the game as he was the one that came up with most of the idea.