The number of copies of Pong and its commercial clones exceed 100,000 units. Approximately 10,000 of these units were manufactured by Atari, the original developer of the Pong.[1]
On 25 March, the United States division of Service Games changes its name to Sega.[1]
Notable releases
Magazines
Play Meter, the first magazine devoted to coin-operated amusements (including arcade games), publishes its first issue.[1]
Arcade games
February: Taito releases Basketball,[3] an early example of sprite graphics, used to represent baskets and player characters,[4] making it the first video game with human figures.[3] The same month, Midway licenses the game for a North American release under the title TV Basketball, making it the first Japanese game licensed for North American release.[3]
5 November,[9] prior to their acquisition by Atari, Kee Games releases Tank to video arcades.[1]
Computer games
Maze War, an ancestor of the first-person shooter genre, was ported to a number of computer systems. The above image was created from a version of the game written for the Xerox Star 8010 in 1985.
Jim Bowery develops Spasim for the PLATO system. Two versions are released, the first in March and the second in July.[11] It is also recognized as an ancestor of the first-person shooter genre.
Gary Whisenhunt and Ray Wood develop dnd, the first game with a boss, and arguably the first role-playing video game, for the PLATO system.[12] Development continued into 1975; it is unclear at what point the game became playable.
^ abcdefgThomas, Donald A. Jr. (2005). "–1974–". ICWhen.com. Archived from the original on 31 June 2006. Retrieved 16 February 2006. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |archivedate= (help)
^ abBill Loguidice & Matt Barton (2009), Vintage games: an insider look at the history of Grand Theft Auto, Super Mario, and the most influential games of all time, p. 197, Focal Press, ISBN 0-240-81146-1
^Koster, Raph (17 February 2002). "Online World Timeline". Raph Koster's Website. Archived from the original on 16 January 2009. Retrieved 2006. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
