Cathode-ray tube amusement device (nonfiction)

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Schematic diagram of the cathode-ray tube amusement device.

The cathode-ray tube amusement device is the earliest known interactive electronic game.

The device simulates an artillery shell arcing towards targets on a cathode ray tube (CRT) screen, which is controlled by the player by adjusting knobs to change the trajectory of a CRT beam spot on the display in order to reach plastic targets overlaid on the screen.

Thomas T. Goldsmith, Jr. and Estle Ray Mann constructed the game from analog electronics. Goldsmith filed a patent application on January 25, 1947; the patent was issued on December 14, 1948.

The gaming device was never manufactured or marketed to the public, so it had no effect on the future video game industry. Under most definitions, the device is not considered a video game, as while it had an electronic display it did not run on a computing device. Therefore, despite its relevance to the early history of video games, it is not generally considered a candidate for the title of first video game.

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