The First Video Game People Ever Played: Tennis for Two

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The first video game people ever played is widely considered to be "Tennis for Two," created by physicist William Higinbotham on October 18, 1958. This game was demonstrated at one of the annual visitors' days at Brookhaven National Laboratory. "Tennis for Two" was a simple tennis game that allowed two players to interact with each other using an oscilloscope screen.

While "Tennis for Two" is often cited as the first video game, it's important to note that there were earlier attempts at electronic games. For instance, a tic-tac-toe simulator was created in 1952, which predates "Tennis for Two" but is often not classified as a true video game due to its display limitations.

Another significant milestone in the history of video games is the creation of the first prototype video game unit by Ralph H. Baer in 1967. Baer's work laid the foundation for many future developments in the video game industry.

However, "Tennis for Two" holds the distinction of being the first video game that was publicly demonstrated and played by people, making it a landmark in the history of video games.