Spasim

Spasim (abbreviation of 'space simulation') was a 32-player 3D networked game by Jim Bowery involving 4 planetary systems with up to 8 players per planetary system, released in March 1974. Jim Bowery claims that it is the very first 3D multiplayer game and has offered reward of US $500 to anyone who could document an example of a multiplayer 3D virtual reality game prior to "Spasim". [http://www.geocities.com/jim_bowery/spasim.html] In Spasim the players flew around in space and to each other they appeared as wire-frame space ships. Their positions were updated about every second.

The game was played on the PLATO network. Later 3D multiplayer games on the PLATO network included "airace" by Silas Warner that evolved into "airfight" (by Brand Fortner), and then spawned US Army's Panzer tank simulator which spawned "Panther" by John Edo Haefeli at NW University. Atari, Inc had a PLATO account and "Panther" is said to be the origin of Battlezone while "airfight" led up to Sublogic's Microsoft Flight Simulator.

ee also

*First person (video games)
*"Maze War"

References