User:Vovkjn/3D development history

3D development history

The first virtual worlds that were implemented with a help of computers were not games but generic virtual reality simulators, such as Ivan Sutherland's 1968 virtual reality device. This form of virtual reality is defined by heavy headsets and other types of sensory input simulation.
Maze War was the first web, 3D multi-user first person shooter game. Maze first introduced us online players as eyeball "avatars" following each other around in a maze [Wikipedia. (2010). Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_world].
The first computer games already had some similarities with virtual worlds. For example, Pong - one of the first games on Atari, had paddles that could be considered comparable to avatars, and the background of the game represented the virtual environment of the game world [Lastowka, F. G. (2004). The Laws of the Virtual Worlds. California Law Review .].
In 1978 a Multi-User Dungeon (MUD) game was released, although it was not 3D, it was text-based virtual environment and used a TELNET program. For all one knows, in today’s senses it is not a true virtual world, but the idea of a virtual world in those days were different.
In 1996, the city of Helsinki, Finland with Helsinki Telephone Company (currently Elisa Group) launched a project that was called the first online virtual 3D illustration intended to map an entire city. The Virtual Helsinki project after all was renamed to Helsinki Arena 2000 project and parts of the city in different contexts were handed over in 3D [Wikipedia. (2010). Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_world].
The first virtual worlds published on the Internet were communities and chat rooms, some of which developed into MUDs and MUSHes.