1970 in video games

At the beginning of the 1970s, video games existed almost entirely as novelties passed around by programmers and technicians with access to computers, primarily at research institutions and large companies. 1970 marked a crucial year in the transition of electronic games from academic to mainstream, with developments in chess artificial intelligence and in the concept of commercialized video games.

While the technology that later became the Odyssey by Magnavox was stalled in development, the game which would become Computer Space began development in this period. In computer games, BASIC games written by high school and college students circulated among different time-sharing computer networks via user’s societies. Some of these programs would later be distributed as type-in listings via books and magazines. The first national competition of chess programs was held, drawing attention to advances in artificial intelligence across various fields.