WHO IS THE FIRST “GAMER” GENERATION?
Historically, the first ever computer game created solely for entertainment was created in 1958, called Tennis for Two.
That paved the way for others, but the early computer game most recognised in popular culture is Pong, created in 1972. It was around this time too that the first generation of home consoles started to appear.
In the 1970s, baby boomers were in their teens, an age where, fast forward to today, many of our youths would be spending time gaming on their consoles, computers and mobile devices.
Yet even though computer games date to the 1960s and 1970s, I would argue that the youth of that time were more inclined towards other pursuits than watching a dot ping-ponging horizontally across the screen between two paddles.
Don’t believe me? Do a simple straw poll: Ask anyone above the age of 55 if they have any memories growing up playing computer games.
It was only in the 1980s and 1990s that video games truly took off, with titles like Super Mario Bros (1985), Sonic the Hedgehog (1991), Myst (1993) and Doom (1993).
In other words, the generation who grew up with computer games isn’t the baby boomers: It’s Generation X.
Baby boomers were the disapproving parents who dismissed computer games as a waste of time.
