These days, video games have impressive graphics, powerful sound and complicated stories that make them almost equal to Hollywood movies.

But this didn't happen overnight. Video games have a rich history that started over 50 years ago when "real" computers were first used to play simple games such as chess.

However, video game buffs consider one title released in 1962 as the ancestor of today's multimedia video games.

It was called Space War, and was developed in MIT, the famous Massachusetts Institute of Technology, which is near Boston, United States. Space War was the brainchild of programmers Wayne Witanen, Stephen Russell and Martin Graetz.

They were science fiction fans and, long before Star Wars was a reality, decided to use computer technology to have some fun with the university's Programmed Data Processor-1 computer.

The result was the first game to ever use interactive graphics and sound in a challenging way. It was also the first with controls that were similar to the ones used in machines like the Playstation and Xbox today.

Available over 45 years ago, Space War is now regarded as the true beginning of modern video games. Sure, there were machines before it that could be considered games, but they only had blinking lights and no sound. Space War was a pioneer - its innovation is felt even now every time you play a video or computer game.