Spacewar!
| Year | 1962 |
|---|---|
| Release platform | PDP-1 |
| Genres | shooter |
| Country | USA |
| Era | Arcades, 1958 to 1983 |
| Importance |
Why it matters
Spacewar! appeared on a PDP-1 computer at MIT in 1962. Steve Russell and his colleagues turned a research machine's display into a place for two people to duel. Each ship can rotate, thrust and fire, but pointing the nose does not automatically change its direction of travel. Inertia persists, while the central star continually bends trajectories through gravity.
This makes you think ahead. A turn prepares the next maneuver, a short burst of thrust adjusts the orbit, and passing near the star can build speed. Limited fuel makes constant thrust a bad habit. Both your opponent and the shared physics create danger: an expressive battle emerges without a maze, cover or a long list of weapons.
The game circulated among users of university and research computers. Different contributors added features, including the starfield and gravity. This way of existing matters to its history: the program was a collaborative experiment in which the display's spectacle, understandable rules and players' skill developed together.
Facts
- The original program ran on the PDP-1 and was created in 1962.
- It is a duel between two people rather than a battle against a computer opponent.
- The ships move with inertia and feel the gravity of the central star.
- The Computer History Museum provides an emulation of the original 1962 program.
