Advent of Computing Episode 4.5 - Space Travel!
May 27, 2019
Exploring the untold story of a 1969 unreleased video game, Space Travel, and its impact on computing history. Delving into the significance of this game in influencing the development of Unix and operating systems for newer machines like the PDP-7.
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Episode notes
Space Travel Game Overview
- Space Travel is a 1969 mainframe video game where players pilot a spacecraft through a two-scale solar system model.
- It features gravity effects and landing mechanics but has simple vector graphics typical of the 1960s.
Early Mainframe Game Insight
- Space Travel is among the earliest video games, predating Pong by several years.
- It belongs to the now extinct genre of mainframe games, developed before arcade or home video games existed.
Space Travel's Link to Unix
- Space Travel was originally created on Multics, a pioneering time-sharing operating system.
- Its development and portability contributed indirectly to the creation of Unix operating system.