5/18/2007

Video games are history

If you're wondering whether "Pong" was really the first video game or if jumping made its first appearance in "Donkey Kong", check out the new and improved Game Innovation Database created by a team of master's degree students at Carnegie Mellon's Entertainment Technology Center (ETC).

According to GameDaily, the database is a unique online resource dedicated to documenting video and computer game "firsts." It was introduced in 2004 as an open wiki. Now, the site has been updated with an intuitive Flash interface that visually displays the relationships between innovations in a dynamic network where visitors can see how one has inspired another. It's not only a resource for gaming enthusiasts, but also for developers searching for inspiration and professors teaching game history and design.

Currently, there are more than 200 innovations listed in the database. But in order for it to achieve its full potential as the definitive resource for all game innovations, an intuitive contributor system has been established that allows users to add entries, correct misinformation and share their knowledge.

"Our old system was a great way to store the innovations," says project advisor and ETC Assistant Professor Jesse Schell, "but our new system lets you see the relationships between innovations in ways not possible before."

"We invite outsiders to offer input," adds Christopher Boette, a first-year master¹s degree student in the ETC and research lead on the project. "We want people to learn about gaming and be inspired by looking back at history."      

You can send comments and suggestions to GameInnovation@gmail.com.

Anne Watzman