Featured Article Summary #20

Spacewar! is a space combat video game created in 1962 for the DEC PDP-1 minicomputer at MIT. It was expanded upon by other students and spread to multiple computer installations. The game features two spaceships controlled by human players engaged in a dogfight in the gravity well of a star. Ships have limited weaponry and fuel, and can be destroyed by colliding with torpedoes, the star, or each other. The game was controlled with switches on the PDP-1, but a gamepad was later developed. Spacewar! is considered one of the most important and influential games in the early history of video games. It inspired many other electronic games and has been recreated for various platforms. It was named one of the ten most important video games of all time and inducted into the World Video Game Hall of Fame. During the 1950s, computer games were primarily used for academic research and demonstrations of computing power. However, a few games were created for both showcasing computer power and entertainment purposes by students and university employees. In September 1961, a group of students and employees came up with the idea for Spacewar! to demonstrate the capabilities of the newly installed PDP-1 minicomputer at MIT. The gameplay of Spacewar! involves two spaceships controlled by players, attempting to shoot each other while maneuvering on a two-dimensional plane in the gravity well of a star. The ships have limited torpedoes and fuel, and players can rotate, thrust, fire torpedoes, and use a hyperspace feature. Controls were initially awkward, but creator Steve Russell created a detached gamepad to alleviate the issue. Spacewar! was developed by Russell, Graetz, and Wiitanen in anticipation of the installation of the PDP-1 computer. Russell drew inspiration from science fiction stories and other influences, and after receiving pressure from the community, he began programming the game. The game was constantly updated and improved by the collaborative efforts of the programming community, and it spread to other institutions and schools with PDP-1 computers. However, due to the limited availability and high cost of the PDP-1, the game remained limited to a small academic audience. Spacewar! was a popular game in the programming community in the 1960s and spread to other computers in the 1970s. It was widely recreated and shared among programmers, and it became known on various computer systems. It influenced later video game designers and inspired the creation of the first coin-operated video games. Spacewar! has had a lasting legacy, with many games being inspired by it, and it has been recognized as an important and influential game in the industry.