Since the start of the Digital Age in the 1940s, technology has reshaped the world in ways previously unimaginable. Less than a century ago, the first general-purpose fully electronic computer, ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer), was introduced in 1945. 

Weighing over 30 tons and occupying the space of a small gym, ENIAC could perform the remarkable feat of 5,000 calculations per minute. From the early days of such colossal computers to the first digital alarm clocks in the 1950s, the first desktop calculator in 1961, and the novelty of personal computers in the 1970s, technology has progressed at an incredible pace. 

Throughout the Digital Age, a new cultural era also emerged, beginning with the development of arcade games like Space Invaders and the innovations of early gaming consoles such as the Atari 2600 and Nintendo Entertainment System, which redefined gaming for generations. 

Continuing today, technology advances at a breakneck pace, with smartphones and artificial intelligence setting the stage for the next frontier of the digital world. By looking back at these milestones, we can better appreciate how far we’ve come and recognize the exciting future that still lies ahead in the ever-changing world of technology.

Personalization of Media: Computers and VHS

Computers were the first key technology of the Digital Age, evolving from colossal machines used by teams of mathematicians to become the personal devices we use everyday. As they shrank in size and price, they shifted from tools for a few to widespread technology for everyone, making technology more personal and integrated into daily life.

The first computer looked vastly different than the computers we have in mind today. After about 2 years of construction, the ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer) was completed in 1945. Invented by Electrical Engineer John Eckert and Physicist John Mauckly, the ENIAC was the first electronic computer that was capable of performing a variety of computational tasks, a feat that was lacking with some earlier, rudimentary computers. The ENIAC was as equally massive as it was groundbreaking, occupying about 1800 square feet, the size of a small apartment! Weighing as much as a large bus at a hefty 30 tons, the ENIAC used 18,000 vacuum tubes, early transistors that acted to process data and perform calculations, which when spread apart stretched for more than 4 miles. While the ENIAC was a major feat at the time, it was just the first of many steps in the creation of the modern computers we have today.

As computers became smaller and more accessible, visionaries like Steve Jobs and Bill Gates helped lead the change to make personal computers commonplace. Meanwhile, another technological shift was underway in home entertainment with the rise of the VHS tape. While computers transformed how information was processed, VHS offered a new way to store media, giving people more control over what they watched and when.

Unlike the ENIAC, which was developed by American Engineers and Physicists at the University of Pennsylvania, the Video Home System (VHS) was developed by Japan Victor Company or JVC in 1976. The VHS became more widely available in the U.S. a year later. Designed to store video recordings, VHS tapes stored video and audio signals on a magnetic tape using digital patterns called a helical scan. When passing through the Video Cassette Recorder (VCR) the tape is moved through rotating heads that read the magnetic tape and display the audio and visual signals onto a TV. This invention revolutionized personal streaming, giving people control over what shows they watched and when. However, the everchanging age of technology soon saw the decline of VHS tapes in the early 2000s, with the rise of newer DVDs and Blu-Ray replacing the cassettes and VHS tapes.

The Foundation of Gaming: How Retro Games Shaped the Future of Gaming

The presence of gaming is an integral part of modern culture, with the average American “spending around 6.5 hours per week playing video games”, according to the 2022 Essential Facts Report by the Entertainment Software Association. The same report shows that 227 million Americans play video games, proving how integral gaming is in modern society. The current state of gaming has grown from the beginnings of arcade games such as Space Invaders (1978) and Pong (1972) to the iconic successes of games like Super Mario Bros by Nintendo. Equally important to the growth of the gaming industry was the devices the games were played on, with the earliest arcades to the very first gaming consoles such as the Atari 2600 and Nintendo Entertainment System of the late 20th century.

While it is up for debate between what the first-ever video game was, games such as Tennis for Two (1958), developed as a laboratory demonstration; Spacewar! (1962), one of the first computer games; and Pong (1972), the first commercially successful video game, all played crucial roles in the early groundwork of gaming and influenced the development of modern gaming. Before understanding the development of home gaming consoles such as the Atari 2600, it is important to understand what brought about the need for such consoles. In 1978, one of the first, most popular arcade games, Space Invaders, captivated the public with its simple premise and competitive high score leaderboards. Space Invaders is often viewed as the game that started the “golden age of arcade gaming” as its success helped establish video games as a part of mainstream entertainment. Following Space Invaders and the growth of arcades, the need for personalization led to the development of the first home console, the Atari 2600 released in 1977 by Atari. Including Space Invaders, the Atari 2600 included games such as Pong and Adventure which brought the popularity of gaming to households. Following the major success of the Atari and the rising popularity of household gaming, Nintendo, a Japanese company founded by Fusajiro Yamauchi in 1889, released the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1985. The NES is considered to be one of the most influential consoles in the history of gaming. It introduced classic games such as Super Mario Bros, The Legend of Zelda, and Metroid, securing Nintendo’s foothold as a dominant company in the gaming industry.

Technology has come a long way, but more groundbreaking changes are continuing in the modern world. With the rise of Artificial Intelligence, micro CPUs and more, the Digital Age is not a thing of the past but an ongoing era of change in the modern world.