The 1958 physics experiment that launched a $220 billion industry

The device shown in the video fired the opening shot of an industry that today generates over $220 billion every year.

-

The device was built by an American physicist in 1958, and it is the first video game equipped with a screen displaying real-time gameplay.

If you look closely, you'll notice that the game is essentially a digital version of two-player tennis.

The game's computations are analog — meaning they were hardwired directly into the device, with no programming language or processor to interpret one, as games are built today.

The screen is actually an oscilloscope — an instrument for measuring electrical voltage — rewired to serve as a display for the game.

-

The gaming industry has come an enormous way since then, and it continues to push the boundaries of technology further and further, achieving things that once couldn't even be imagined.

Gaming also lies at the foundation of both crypto and artificial intelligence, because the same powerful graphics processors designed for video games were later repurposed and enabled these technologies to flourish.

-

Truly great inventions don't belong to lone inventors.

They are built through years of painstaking effort over decades, until the technology or the era is ripe enough to let them break through.

This holds true for artificial intelligence, systems of governance and economics, and everything else of significance you can think of.

The contributions of individuals don't always receive the recognition they deserve in the history books — but that takes nothing away from the vital role each of them played in creating the final result.

The 1958 physics experiment that launched a $220 billion industry