 The history of video games spans a period of time between the invention of the first electronic games and today , covering a long period of invention and changes . Video gaming would not reach mainstream popularity until the 1970s and 1980s , when arcade video games , gaming consoles and home computer games were introduced to the general public . Since then , video gaming has become a popular form of entertainment and a part of modern culture in most parts of the world . The early history of video games , therefore , covers the period of time between the first interactive electronic game with an electronic display in 1947 , the first true video games in the early 1950s , and the rise of early arcade video games in the 1970s ( Pong and the beginning of the first generation of video game consoles with the Magnavox Odyssey , both in 1972 ) . During this time there were a wide range of devices and inventions corresponding with large advances in computing technology , and the actual first video game is dependent on the definition of " video game " used . 
