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When asked about the very first video game ever released most experts will tell you that it was Pong, the famous table tennis inspired video game released in 1972 by Atari Inc. But Pong wasn’t the first one, as a company called Nutting Associates had already released their Computer Space game in 1971.

Computer Space was created by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabne, who later founded Atari. The gaming idea was based on Spacewar! (see below), but the really revolutionary concept was to create a machine specifically for a game (instead of programming a game for an existing hardware). The classic arcade game had been invented.

The game was quite simple, you had to control a space ship and would fire missiles at flying saucers. Computer Space’s technology was very primitive – no microprocessor and no modern memory architecture, the entire minimalistic computer was made of only 74 logic circuits using diode arrays as memory. But it came in an outstanding futuristic cabinet, which was available in various colors.

While the Computer Space game was quite successful on college campuses, it didn’t perform well in bars. It was probably too complicated back then, as people had never seen such a kind of game before. Pong, which was a huge success only shortly after, was much more easy to play and to understand.

While Computer Space was the first computer game available for the public, the were games even before it. Bill Pitts and Hugh Tuck had programmed Galaxy Game two months before Computer Space was released (in September 1971), but it was only available at Stanford University. Galaxy Game, again, was based on Spacewar!, a game created on a PDP-1 back in 1961 by Steve “Slug” Russell, Martin “Shag” Graetz and Wayne Wiitanen.

A common assumption today is that the majority of people who either buy or play computer games and video games are children or young teenagers. In fact, well over sixty percent of all those who do play or buy such video games are over the age of eighteen. It is largely the older brothers and sisters, or even parents of the children who are the majority of gamers. When you look at the type and range of video games and computer games on the market, there is a large variety, some of which are suitable for children and families, but many of which are not, and in the case of video games which do feature more mature or adult content, this is clearly displayed on the cover label. Shops and retailers have a duty to ensure that games labelled for those only over the age of sixteen or eighteen are not sold to underage children, with proofs of age required in the case of any uncertainty. In reality, this actually happens quite rarely – even more rare than those retailers who check the ages of people buying videos and movies that have similar age restrictions or advice labels on them.

In fact, over eighty three percent of all those adults who buy computer games or video games for children against the publisher’s age recommendations are the parents themselves. There are perhaps three main reasons why this tends to be the case. The first reason is that many parents don’t even realise that computer games and video games have age limitations or restrictions at all. Unless they have carefully looked at the covers and read the labels, there is no other way of them knowing or realising. The second possible reason is that the parents know that there are age guidelines, but through simple child pester power, they give in. The age old excuse that all the child’s friends have it, and they’ve played it before many times, some parents imply give in for a quiet life.

A third possible reason is simply ignorance – that parents don’t realise just how much computer graphical capabilities have developed in the last few years. Many parents may be thinking back to the eighties when computer graphics were very pixelated and bland – no more than cartoons at best. They may well not realise that the graphical capabilities of a good video game and computer system today means that the level of detail is scarcely less that would be seen in a movie. Unless parents play an active role in looking carefully at the labels on video games, and even seeing the game itself, then this ignorance may well persist.

Perhaps it is the responsibility of the video games industry itself to increase the awareness of the importance of age guidelines on computer games, to help get the message across. If the eighty three percent of parents who buy underage goods for their children stopped doing this, then the problem of children playing these games would be seriously addressed. Clearly, since the majority of video gamers are adults, a change on the type of game available is not likely, or even appropriate, and so it is down to making sure that inappropriate items don’t fall into the wrong hands, as with anything such as alcohol, videos and car keys.

If a person enters a store to purchase software for their home computer system, they will be exposed to many disclosures on software discounts throughout the store. These disclosures on software discounts might be identified by then manufacturers item description that states the program is discounted because the warranty has run out on the item.

When a consumer sees this type of disclosures on software discounts, they might not think that it is such a bargain. The software discounts might cost them more money in the near future because an upgrade is generally required to maintain the computer system warranty. Some disclosures on software discounts are required by Law under the Consumer Protection Act.

Other retailers might offer disclosures on software discounts in the signs that are posted in resale shops, that state there is no guarantee on any type of computer software that is sold by their company. These software discounts look very attractive to the budget minded consumer.

When an item is sold “As Is”, the consumer is simply buying a computer software program with no guarantee that it will work when they get it home. Many shoppers will inspect the package very thoroughly and read statements of disclosures on software discounts very carefully to make sure it will meet all of their expectations.

There may be stipulation included in these disclosures on software discounts that prohibit them from being loaded on more than one computer system for the life of the product or the computer system. If your computer system crashes, you must purchase another software program to replace it.

Some of the disclosures on software discounts might be made to make a consumer feel safe when buying computer software that might have a security access breach in the particular version you are considering to purchase. These disclosures identify specifically that hackers have found an access route that might allow them to break into your home computer system and cause malicious mischief.

Anti-virus software is one type of computer software that is vulnerable to this type of security breach. The disclosure on software discounts might offer you a great price, and a thorough explanation of the threat, but that does not mean that the computer program you want to purchase is safe to use if you want to use your computer at home to shop on the Internet, or indulge in some home banking investment strategies.

Some computer software requires full-disclosures on software discounts before a consumer can install the program on their computer system. This regulation is enforced by the Federal Trade Commission, and applies to all vendors that sell computer software packages. The consumer must report problems directly to the vendor who would be responsible for issuing a product recall.

This type of problem is typical in the automobile industry. Some purchase and install guidance systems that are filled with disclosures on software discounts that were included in the purchase price of the vehicle. Before the car leaves the lot, a consumer must acknowledge that they are aware that updates will routinely need to be purchased to keep their computer software module up-to-date.

Computer software is so called in contrast to computer hardware, which encompasses the physical interconnections and devices required to store and execute (or run) the software. In computers, software is loaded into RAM and executed in the central processing unit. At the lowest level, software consists of a machine language specific to an individual processor. A machine language consists of groups of binary values signifying processor instructions (object code), which change the state of the computer from its preceding state. Software is an ordered sequence of instructions for changing the state of the computer hardware in a particular sequence. It is usually written in high-level programming languages that are easier and more efficient for humans to use (closer to natural language) than machine language. High-level languages are compiled or interpreted into machine language object code. Software may also be written in an assembly language, essentially, a mnemonic representation of a machine language using a natural language alphabet. Assembly language must be assembled into object code via an assembler.

The term “software” was first used in this sense by John W. Tukey in 1958.[2] In computer science and software engineering, computer software is all computer programs. The concept of reading different sequences of instructions into the memory of a device to control computations was invented by Charles Babbage as part of his difference engine. The theory that is the basis for most modern software was first proposed by Alan Turing in his 1935 essay Computable numbers with an application to the Entscheidungsproblem. [3]

[edit] Three layers

Starting in the 1980s, application software has been sold in mass-produced packages through retailersUsers often see things differently than programmers. People who use modern general purpose computers (as opposed to embedded systems, analog computers, supercomputers, etc.) usually see three layers of software performing a variety of tasks: platform, application, and user software.

Platform software

Platform includes the firmware, device drivers, an operating system, and typically a graphical user interface which, in total, allow a user to interact with the computer and its peripherals (associated equipment). Platform software often comes bundled with the computer, and users may not realize that it exists or that they have a choice to use different platform software.

Application software

Application software or Applications are what most people think of when they think of software. Typical examples include office suites and video games. Application software is often purchased separately from computer hardware. Sometimes applications are bundled with the computer, but that does not change the fact that they run as independent applications. Applications are almost always independent programs from the operating system, though they are often tailored for specific platforms. Most users think of compilers, databases, and other “system software” as applications.

User-written software

User software tailors systems to meet the users specific needs. User software include spreadsheet templates, word processor macros, scientific simulations, graphics and animation scripts. Even email filters are a kind of user software. Users create this software themselves and often overlook how important it is. Depending on how competently the user-written software has been integrated into purchased application packages, many users may not be aware of the distinction between the purchased packages, and what has been added by fellow co-workers.