Computer Space was the first commercially released arcade video game, created by Nutting Associates in 1971.
Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney designed Computer Space after being inspired by Spacewar!, a computer game running on large research computers. Instead of using a general-purpose computer, they built dedicated hardware that displayed a star field and let players control a rocket fighting a flying saucer.
Nutting Associates manufactured the cabinet and released it in bars and other locations. The game was difficult for many casual players, and its commercial performance was modest, but it established the coin-operated video-game format before Pong became a much larger hit.
Computer Space is sometimes confused with Spacewar!, which came earlier but was not a commercial arcade product. Bushnell and Dabney later founded Atari, while Computer Space’s cabinet and controls helped shape the emerging arcade industry.