Photos: Vintage arcade games... revealed

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    From Pong and Space Invaders to Tron, Pac-Man and communist arcade games

    Imagine having this in your front room. It's the PDP-1, the system which ran the first-ever computer game.

    Built by the Digital Equipment Corporation in 1960, the computer stored data in punched paper tape and had 9KB of memory.

    The computer is on show as part of the Game On exhibition at London's Science Museum. The exhibition follows the development of computer gaming from its origins to present day.

    Photo credit: Steve Ranger

    Caption by: Tim Ferguson

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    The PDP-1 ran the first ever computer game, which was called Spacewar! and spawned many imitators.

    Using the PDP-1's circular screen and typewriter-like keyboard (shown above), two players would try to shoot each other's spaceship while attempting to avoid a star's gravitational field.

    The computer was given to MIT where it famously became instrumental in the development of hacker culture.

    Photo credit: Steve Ranger

    Caption by: Tim Ferguson

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    This is Computer Space, the first commercial computer game, from 1970.

    Developed by Nolan Bushnell, the founder of Atari, and inspired by DEC's Spacewar!, the game was a commercial failure as people complained it was too difficult to play.

    Photo credit: Steve Ranger

    Caption by: Tim Ferguson

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    Among the other games at the exhibition are classics like Pong, released by Atari in 1972.

    Two days after a Pong arcade machine was installed in California, it stopped working as the cash drawer was completely full of quarters.

    Photo credit: Steve Ranger

    Caption by: Tim Ferguson

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    Another classic: Space Invaders.

    But gaming isn't just fun - it can be useful too.

    Research by Professor Mark Griffiths of Nottingham Trent University has shown that computer game technology can be useful for training and education purposes. He told silicon.com it can be especially useful for training in the armed forces.

    Photo credit: Steve Ranger

    Caption by: Tim Ferguson

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    Those who played on the table-top up-facing screen of Space Invaders II will remember how exciting the game was at the time.

    Professor Griffiths' research shows that the mental stimulation of games can help improve hand-eye coordination and speed up reaction time.

    Photo credit: Steve Ranger

    Caption by: Tim Ferguson

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    Pac-Man was another benchmark in arcade gaming, moving away from the space-war style with its hungry little hero.

    Photo credit: Tim Ferguson

    Caption by: Tim Ferguson

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    Missile Command is a Cold War classic from 1980 in which players defend cities from the threat of interplanetary ballistic missiles.

    Photo credit: Steve Ranger

    Caption by: Tim Ferguson

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    The 1982 movie Tron was one of the first films to employ widespread computer graphics, and the plot - rebellion by computer programs against the evil Master Control Program - meant it had plenty of techie fans.

    The Tron arcade game, shown above, is based on the movie.

    The legacy of Tron lives on in the virtual world Second Life, which uses Tron-style language - to create an object in Second Life is known as to 'rez'.

    Photo credit: Steve Ranger

    Caption by: Tim Ferguson

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    This is the first-ever computer games console. It's called the Magnavox Odyssey and was released in 1972.

    Among the games on offer back then was this simple table-tennis game.

    Photo credit: Steve Ranger

    Caption by: Tim Ferguson

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    The controllers for the Magnavox Odyssey work a bit like the 1980s toy, Etch-a-Sketch, to control the table-tennis bats in the game.

    Beyond games, another benefit of consoles is in helping parents communicate with their children. Unlike many toys, Professor Griffiths suggests that computer games encourage parent and child to interact.

    Photo credit: Steve Ranger

    Caption by: Tim Ferguson

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    Here's East Germany's contribution to video games - the PolyPlay, which was built between 1985 and 1989 by VEB Polytechnik.

    Due to a shortage of materials, each one was constructed slightly differently, with the company using whatever materials they could find.

    When the Berlin Wall came down, most of the 1,500 machines were destroyed, leaving only this and two other examples.

    Photo credit: Steve Ranger

    Caption by: Tim Ferguson

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From Pong and Space Invaders to Tron, Pac-Man and communist arcade games

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From Pong and Space Invaders to Tron, Pac-Man and communist arcade games

Imagine having this in your front room. It's the PDP-1, the system which ran the first-ever computer game.

Built by the Digital Equipment Corporation in 1960, the computer stored data in punched paper tape and had 9KB of memory.

The computer is on show as part of the Game On exhibition at London's Science Museum. The exhibition follows the development of computer gaming from its origins to present day.

Photo credit: Steve Ranger

Caption by: Tim Ferguson

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