1974 Computer games
Category: Mainframe
pedit5 is said to be the first “dungeon-dwelling” fantasy game, and dnd the first real computer role-playing game. Both of them appear on the PLATO network in 1974. Also released on PLATO that year are Spasim, the first 3D online shooter in which up to 32 players battle it out with their spaceships, and Airfight, a flight simulator with air combat features that would later be the inspiration for Sublogic’s Flight Simulator, soon to be acquired by Microsoft.
Play them
Cyber1 runs many original games from the PLATO network, among them dnd. If you want to play them, check their website to find out how to sign up for an account and log in to the system.
1974 Arcade game firsts
Category: Arcade
- Tank by Kee Games is the first game using IC-based ROM to display more complex graphics. Kee Games had apparently sold clones of some Atari games before, but this original two-player maze shootout was so successful that they ended up revealing Kee Games as being just a subsidiary of Atari. Atari did this to trick distributors, who would insist on having exclusive deals with game manufacturers. With this “shadow company,” Atari was able to get deals with two distributors at once. Tank was so successful though that distributors did not care for exclusivity in videogame distribution anymore, so Atari and Kee Games merged.
- Gran Trak 10 by Atari is the first racing videogame. It can be played by one player, displays a track in top-down perspective, and features a full-size steering wheel, gas pedal, and stick shift for controls.
Play them
Gran Trak 10 cannot be emulated on a computer because it does not use a microprocessor. However, Sprint 1 (1978) is a microprocessor remake of the game, and is emulated in MAME.
Emulated microprocessor games from the Tank series include the 8-player Tank 8 (1976) and Ultra Tank (1978).
