The video-game era was born in 1971 with the first mass-produced video arcade game, "Computer Space," by the guys who would go on to create Atari.
Other key dates in the video-game evolution:
• "Pong" (1972) - The first successful video arcade game had no sound beyond dings.
• Taito's "Space Invaders" (1978) - opened the door to the arcade gaming's golden era, which included "Pac-Man" (1980) with its electronic munching.
• "Donkey Kong" (1981) - The first game that let you jump over objects.
• "Battlezone" (1980) - The first three-dimensional game.
• CD-ROMs make it easier to use music to add drama. For example, 1993's "Myst" featured 40 minutes of original, synthesized music that was later published as a soundtrack.
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• "Dance Dance Revolution," which literally brought gamers to their feet with its rocking, grooving soundtrack, rolled out in 1998 in Japan. It emigrated to North America the following year.
• Nintendo rolled out the hand-held, portable Game Boy gaming device in 1989. It introduced its dual-screen DS hand-held consoles in 2004.
• Got phone? Get game: Almost every cellular phone since the 1990s can play games. The new generation of smart phones (BlackBerry, iPhone) also allows you to play on the Internet.
• In 2006, Nintendo launched its revolutionary Wii game console. To date, the company has sold 67.4 million consoles worldwide.
Video Games Coming soon
Hundreds of titles are released every year. Here are a few that fans eagerly await:
• Sunday: "Pokémon Heart."
• Tuesday: "Dragon Age: Origins-Awakening," "God of War 3," "Command & Conquer 4 Tiberian Twilight."
• March 23: "Just Cause 2," "Red Steel 2."
• Fall: "Halo: Reach."
