CRT Amusement Device From 1947 Was The First Video Game

I bet that Thomas T. Goldsmith and Estle Ray Mann had no idea of the industry they were spawning when they tried to patent something they called the CRT Amusement Device way back in 1947. The device was gigantic game that took up half a living room and score was kept by hand. It was also apparently the first video game ever made. Mann and Goldsmith submitted the patent on January 25, 1947.

The patent described a game of skill that had a players sit in front of the giant CRT and control a dot on the screen using a knob to adjust speed and trajectory. Apparently, the idea was based on the radar that was commonly used in WWII to control missiles. The design was also apparently later developed into the first mainframe computers.

The premise sounds a lot like Missile Command to me. Thrown in some jagged lines for mountains and a big ball that always pinched my fingers and you are ready to defend the homeland. I've actually never heard of what was reportedly the first commercial video game, Computer Space, created by the dudes that would later form Atari. The first video game I ever played was Pac-Man.

[via Gizmag]