Computer Space
Computer Space is a video game released by Nutting Associates in November 1971. It was created by the partnership Syzygy Engineering as single-player adaptation of the mainframe computer game Spacewar!. The game is widely acknowledged as the first commercial video game ever available on the market.
Previews
🇺🇸 November 6, 1971
A report from the MOA show, speaking with Nolan Bushnell about the game's features.
Announcement
United States
Italy
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Ads
Flyers
Photos
Production
On Location
Articles
🇺🇸 February 12, 1972
A report on Nutting Associates focused on Computer Space. David Ralston provides commentary on the difference of the game from others currently on the market.
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Game credits
- Game Designer, Hardware Designer
- Nolan Bushnell
- Hardware Designer, Sound Engineer
- Ted Dabney
- Technician
- Steve Bristow
Histories
- Computer Space and the Dawn of the Arcade Video Game by Benj Edwards.
- Pixels in Print (Part 1): Advertising Computer Space by Kate Willaert covering the advertising context of the original game.
- Nolan Versus Ted: Part 1 by Alex Smith. A historiological discussion of the work done on Computer Space by the two partners.
- Worldly Wednesdays: A Timeline of Computer Space by Alex Smith. An attempt to use existing documentation to sort out when parts of the game were conceived and built.
Interviews
- https://amhistory.si.edu/archives/AC1498_Transcript_NolanBushnell.pdf — Nolan Bushnell oral history conducted by Christopher Weaver, working with the Smithsonian Institution's Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation (November 17th, 2017).
- https://amhistory.si.edu/archives/AC1498_Transcript_TedDabney.pdf — Ted Dabney oral history conducted by Christopher Weaver, working with the Smithsonian Institution's Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation (March 15th, 2018).
Books
Video Invaders
A history of video games from its '50s roots to its immense popularity in the late '70s and early '80s, written by journalist Steve Bloom (with illustrations by Howard Cruse and Dan Steffan) and published by Arco Publishing in 1982.
ISBN 978-0668055208
Zap!: The Rise and Fall of Atari
What happened to Atari? How did Atari start? Who founded Atari? Was the Atari 2600 the first home console? Who decided the Atari home version of Pac-Man was good enough to release? These questions and many more are answered in ZAP! The Rise and Fall of Atari. Scott Cohen's exhaustive research has culminated into a thorough and enjoyable history of Atari, but the very foundations of the video game industry. His interviews with such notables as Nolan Bushnell and Ralph Baer provide an insider's look at the workings of a videogame company. Roll through the pages to discover the origins of PONG, the effects of the Intellivision and Colecovision on Atari's dominance, and the results of the strenuous relationship between Warner and Atari. Discover the answers to your questions about the company that provided video game entertainment to America in the 1970's and 1980's.
ISBN 978-0070115439
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Atari Inc.: Business is Fun
An amazing 800 pages (including nearly 300 pages of rare, never before seen photos, memos and court documents), this book details Atari's genesis from an idea between an engineer and a visionary in 1969 to a nearly $2 billion dollar juggernaut, and ending with a $538 million death spiral during 1984. A testament to the people that worked at this beloved company, the book is full of their personal stories and insights.
ISBN 978-0985597405
Other Information
- http://www.computerspacefan.com/SN9003large.htm — Information on the white variation of Computer Space, claimed to be one of the original four production units.
