Power Up! A blast through video game marketing history
For over five decades, video games have transcended humble beginnings as children’s toys to become the heavyweight champion of the entertainment world and gaming marketing had a huge won this transformation.Â
Surpassing the combined revenue of movies and music, this industry behemoth weighs in at over $200 billion and projects a jaw-dropping $600 billion by 2030. With an army of 3 billion gamers strong, it’s clear: video games are more than just a pastime; they’re a cultural phenomenon.
Source: Omdia; Newzoo
But how did these simple digital playgrounds evolve into the entertainment juggernauts we know today? This is where our story truly begins…
The early levels
The journey of video games began not with triumphant heroes, but with a humble tic-tac-toe champion. In 1950, Bertie the Brain entered the spotlight as the first publicly displayed video game. However, its reign was short-lived. Photos of the game invariably show it “losing” to human players, and it was dismantled after just two weeks.
Bertie the brainTennis for twoSpacewar!