Esports in Education: History

Show notes follows.

Evolution.

Everyone starts by loving to play games, and mimicking or roleplaying fosters the learning of new skills. A lion cub enjoys playing to bond with others. More importantly, evolutionarily, playing sharpens the skills of hunting. Although we may lose enthusiasm to continue playing, we are all gamers. Furthermore, to survive, we are all competitive at different levels. Esports is played competitively.

Electronic Games.

The history of esports and video games starts with an electronic game called Humpty Dumpty, a pinball machine made for gambling in 1947. Video Games have never lost their stigma since. However, later pinball was made into a skilled-based game rather than chance.
The first video game was made in 1958, called Tennis for Two. Unlike pong, which is a top-down view, this game was a side view where the net was a line at the bottom center of the round screen, and the court was a straight line across the bottom perpendicular to the net. It was made by William Higinbotham, a nuclear physicist, using an oscilloscope, an instrument used to measure the trajectories of bullets and missiles. As a two-player game, it was also the first competitive game.

Dawn of the Gaming Systems.

The first gaming system was a home console called the brown box, made in 1967. However, this prototype made by Ralph Baer was available when Magnavox named it the Odyssey in 1972. The 28 games it had were mainly hardwired.
The first arcade game was Computer Space in 1971. The arcade looked very sci-fi, unlike the sharp boxes we usually see. The game is based on another game called Spacewar, made in 1962. Similar to the game Asteroids in mechanics, two spaceships battle each other. In 1972, a Spacewar competition in the Bay Area made it the first computer-based competitive game.
Atari was one of many to create a home console with swappable games. 1976 saw the first console of its type, the Channel F by Fairchild. The goal was to create and sell new game cartridges similar to 8-track. Nevertheless, soon after, the popularity of Atari changed the future of Channel F to almost forgotten. However, on December 1, 2022, Google recognized Jerry Lawson for his contribution to the gaming industry.
Since most home consoles and arcade games were single or hardwired, the first handheld gaming system was the Mattel Football in 1977. It was three rows by 9 columns array of LED lights with a three-button movement and other features.

The Rise of Video Game Tournaments.

1978 brought what is now considered the first major esports tournament: Atari’s Space Invaders.
Video Game technology soon caught the attention of the Military. By 1979, a decommissioned Light Anti-tank Weapon was moded with a light sensor and connected to an Apple 2 for display.
However, the many clones, copies, and knockoffs caused the video game crash of 1983. However, the video game industry was saved by Nintendo with more rigorous rules.
The 1990s made Esports flourish with the Nintendo World Championships using several games, amongst which Tetris was one. Around the same time, computers were more affordable, and LAN parties were possible, making games like StarCraft possible.
Street Fighter 2 from 1991 was the first video game turned into a successful film in 1995.
Virtual Reality has existed for at least a century. VR video games have a shorter history than that. However, the Virtual Boy was the first widely available VR video game system, which was unsuccessful, like many other VR attempts.

Birth of Esports.

The 2000s brought the term Electronic Sports, later named Esports, for the first time. Two important events were in 2002, the founding of Major League Gaming or MLG in New York, and in 2003, the tournament called Electronic Sports World Cup in France.
The Wii remote made gaming more accessible to everyone in 2006. This allowed Esports to be available to senior citizens with the Senior Bowling Championship.
The 2020s bring esports as an emerging scholastic event. Although video games crashed in 1983, esports in education may see the same with uncoordinated events. However, school districts that are doing this successfully are researching and hiring their staff for managing events. They will outlast the eventual crash and be successful at student retention.

Comments.

New evidence may change or reenforce history as we understand it. What information here has changed? Also, what are other major Esports historical events not provided here?