Cataloging video game firsts...

[gliptitude]

I'm interested to account for the evolution of video game design, and to trace the significant concepts and their influence on other games. So part of this is identifying "video game firsts", such as:


Spacewar!: First to employ steer/thrust controls

Defender: First side scrolling shooter and "first true 'gaming environment' "

Zaxxon: First isometric view game

Rip Off: "first shoot 'em up arcade game to feature cooperative gameplay and to exhibit flocking behavior" (not sure what this means)

Warrior: first vs fighting game

Adventure: first adventure game

First game to use escape or chase elements: ?

First maze game: ?

First game to feature a RESCUE element: ?

First game to feature multiple levels, which vary visually from one to the next: ?

First game to have boss battles?

First game to employ a perspective view: ?

First game to employ 1st person or cockpit view: ?

First game in which the player controls a villain: ?

First game to use directional controls (move the stick/pad in the direction you want to go, as opposed to pressing buttons): ?

First platform game: ?

First game with multiple gameplay environments: ?

First game to have a substantial story (characters, plot, etc.): ?

First game to employ a password system: ?


I am mostly interested in issues of game DESIGN. Less interested in things to do with hardware and NOT AT ALL interested in things to do with commerce.

Besides the actual firsts I guess I am also interested in the "bests" in each category as well as the most influential. As has been discussed in other threads, Asteroids, for example, may have almost nothing original in it, though it's influence was enormous. Likewise, Pac Man is probably the most influential maze game, but was it the first?

[VectorX]

Feb 19, 2013 13:06:20 GMT -5 gliptitude said:

First maze game: ?

Possibly Amazing Maze from the arcades.

Feb 19, 2013 13:06:20 GMT -5 gliptitude said:

First game to feature multiple levels, which vary visually from one to the next: ?

First platform game: ?

Donkey Kong on these two, maybe?

Feb 19, 2013 13:06:20 GMT -5 gliptitude said:

First game to employ 1st person or cockpit view: ?

Battlezone? Starship 1?

Feb 19, 2013 13:06:20 GMT -5 gliptitude said:

Likewise, Pac Man is probably the most influential maze game, but was it the first?

Nope, not quite, especially since it was predated by several others, like A. Maze, as well as Head On and Space Chase.

[Mayhem]

First scrolling shooter was probably Scramble. First boss battle is technically Phoenix I would say.

[TrekMD]

First game to employ 1st person or cockpit view: ?

Would this be Night Driver? I think that was one of the first games doing this back then but I am not 100% certain.