OXO
Developer(s)	A.S. Douglas
Designer(s)	A.S. Douglas
Release date(s)	1952
Genre(s)	Puzzle game
Mode(s)	Single player
Platform(s)	EDSAC
Media	Delay line memory
Input	rotary dial, console

OXO (also known as Noughts and Crosses) is a tic-tac-toe computer game made for the EDSAC computer in 1952. It was written by Alexander S. (Sandy) Douglas as an illustration for his Ph.D. thesis on human-computer interaction for the University of Cambridge. OXO was the first known (graphical) game to run on a computer. However, there is a patent dating from 1947–1948 that describes a missile simulation game utilizing a cathode ray tube.^[1] Image File history File links OXO_emulated_screenshot. ... A video game developer is a software developer (a business or an individual) that creates computer or video games. ... OXO (or Noughts and Crosses) is a tic-tac-toe computer game made for the EDSAC computer in 1952. ... A game designer is a person who designs games. ... OXO (or Noughts and Crosses) is a tic-tac-toe computer game made for the EDSAC computer in 1952. ... 1952 (MCMLII) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ... A puzzle is a problem or enigma presented as entertainment; that is written down, acted out, etc. ... In computer games and video games, single-player refers to the variant of a particular game where input from only one player is expected throughout the course of the gaming session. ... EDSAC EDSAC (Electronic Delay Storage Automatic Calculator) was an early British computer (one of the first computers to be created). ... Mercury memory of UNIVAC I (1951) Delay line memory was a form of computer memory used on some of the earliest digital computers, such as the EDSAC and UNIVAC I. The basic concept of the delay line originated with World War II radar research, specifically to reduce clutter from reflections... The rotary dial is a device mounted on or in a telephone or switchboard that is designed to send interrupted electrical pulses, known as pulse dialing, corresponding to the number dialled. ... Tic-tac-toe, also called noughts and crosses and many other names, is a paper and pencil game between two players, O and X, who alternate in marking the spaces in a 3×3 board. ... A computer game is a game composed of a computer-controlled virtual universe that players interact with in order to achieve a defined goal or set of goals. ... EDSAC EDSAC (Electronic Delay Storage Automatic Calculator) was an early British computer (one of the first computers to be created). ... 1952 (MCMLII) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Doctor of Philosophy (from Greek , meaning Teacher of Philosophy), typically abbreviated Ph. ... The University of Cambridge, located in Cambridge, England, is the second-oldest university in the English-speaking world, with a reputation as one of the worlds most prestigious universities. ... Cathode ray tube employing electromagnetic focus and deflection Cutaway rendering of a color CRT Electron guns Electron beams Focusing coils Deflection coils Anode connection Mask for separating beams for red, green, and blue part of displayed image Phosphor layer with red, green, and blue zones Close-up of the phosphor...

The player played against the computer, and output was displayed on the computer's 35×16 pixel cathode ray tube. The source code was short, yet it played a perfect game of noughts and crosses. OXO did not have widespread popularity because the EDSAC was a computer unique to Cambridge. This example shows an image with a portion greatly enlarged, in which the individual pixels are rendered as little squares and can easily be seen. ... Cathode ray tube employing electromagnetic focus and deflection Cutaway rendering of a color CRT Electron guns Electron beams Focusing coils Deflection coils Anode connection Mask for separating beams for red, green, and blue part of displayed image Phosphor layer with red, green, and blue zones Close-up of the phosphor... Source code (commonly just source or code) is any series of statements written in some human-readable computer programming language. ...

OXO consisted of a digital display system that showed a "pod" visual system like scoreboards at the Olympics. It is argued by some that OXO was the first video game ever made, predating even William Higinbotham's Tennis For Two from 1958. Tennis for Two was a game developed in 1958 on an oscilloscope which simulated a game of tennis or ping pong. ...

Startscreen

 9 8 7 NOUGHTS AND CROSSES 6 5 4 BY 3 2 1 A S DOUGLAS, C.1952 LOADING PLEASE WAIT... EDSAC/USER FIRST (DIAL 0/1): 

Program

 EDSAC/USER FIRST (DIAL 0/1):1 DIAL MOVE:6 DIAL MOVE:1 DIAL MOVE:2 DIAL MOVE:7 DIAL MOVE:9 DRAWN GAME... EDSAC/USER FIRST (DIAL 0/1): 

Reference

1. ^ Thomas T. Goldsmith Jr. and Estle Ray Mann filed a United States patent application on January 25, 1947 and U.S. Patent #2 455 992 issued on December 14, 1948.

External links

• Edsac Simulator: An emulator of the EDSAC, including the code for OXO
• PONG-Story: A.S. Douglas' 1952 Noughts and Crosses game