ABSTRACT
Engineers of the 1930s and 1940s from Germany, England, and the United States independently developed electromechanical and electronic computing devices capable of performing a variety of mathematical calculations and problem-solving functions. Computer games were important within this context as they illustrated theories of artificial intelligence and provided a focus for radical innovation that was applied to other areas. Chess programs were a favorite of early computer scientists and have a history with machines that stretches to at least the eighteenth century. Hackers explored the technical and artistic capacities of computers through hands-on experimentation in the ultimate "sandbox" environment. The early 1960s saw the first experiments that involved 3D computer graphics to illustrate scientific work. Hackers not only jumped at the opportunity to explore the capabilities of 3D imagery through games, but also some did so in conjunction with emerging computer networks. Thus, the collective work of early computer hackers was crucial in establishing the commercial digital game industry.
