Nimrod (computer)
nimrod built united kingdom ferranti festival britain early computer custombuilt play nim inspired earlier nimatron twelvebyninebyfivefoot bybymeter computer designed john makepeace bennett built engineer raymond stuartwilliams allowed exhibition attendee play game nim artificial intelligence player pressed button raised panel corresponding light machine select move nimrod moved afterward calculation represented light speed nimrod calculation could reduced allow presenter demonstrate exactly computer light showing state calculation nimrod intended demonstrate ferrantis computer design programming skill rather entertain though festival attendee interested playing game logic behind initial exhibition may nimrod shown three week october berlin industrial show dismantled game nim running nimrod candidate one first video game one first computer game sort visual display game appeared four year invention cathoderay tube amusement device earliest known interactive electronic game use electronic display one year bertie brain computer similar nimrod played tictactoe canadian national exhibition nimrod use light bulb rather screen realtime visual graphic however much less moving graphic meet definition video game summer united kingdom held festival britain national exhibition held throughout uk promote british contribution science technology industrial design architecture art commemorate centenary great exhibition british engineering firm nascent computer developer ferranti promised develop exhibit festival late john makepeace bennett australian employee firm recent phd graduate university cambridge proposed company create computer could play game nim nim player take turn removing least one object set object goal player remove last object gameplay option modeled mathematically bennett suggestion supposedly inspired earlier nimplaying machine nimatron displayed new york world fair nimatron machine designed edward condon constructed westinghouse electric electromechanical relay weighed ton although bennett suggestion game goal show computer ability mathematical calculation nim based mathematical principle thus showcase ferrantis computer design programming skill rather entertain ferranti began work building computer december engineer raymond stuartwilliams adapting design bennett working machine development completed april resulting device twelve foot wide nine foot deep five foot tall majority volume taken vacuum tube light bulb displayed state game actual computer taking two percent total volume machine nimrod took form large box panel light raised stand front button corresponding light turn represented object player could remove player would sit stand press button make move one panel light showed state game another showed computer calculation move computer could set make calculation various speed slowing demonstrator could describe exactly computer real time visual guide attached nimrod explained computer turn well showing possible game state would represented light sign stating player turn whether one would light appropriate gameplay may nimrod computer presented festival nimrod digital computer advertised faster thought electronic brain exclusively played game nim move made player seated raised stand demonstrator sitting side stand computer nimrod could play either traditional reverse form game short guidebook sold visitor one shilling sixpence explaining computer worked nimrod worked advertising ferrantis development explained use game demonstrate power machine mean meant entertainment compared mathematical underpinnings nim modeling economics country player nimrod festival included computer science pioneer alan turing although intended technology demonstration onlooker festival britain interested playing game programming engineering logic behind bennett claimed public quite happy gawk flashing light impressed bbc radio journalist paul jennings claimed festival attendee came standstill upon reaching frightful tremendous gray refrigerator festival nimrod showcased three week october berlin industrial show also drew crowd including west germany economics minister ludwig erhard briefly shown toronto afterwards however served purpose nimrod dismantled nimrod intended entertainment product followed future game ferranti continued work designing general purpose computer nim used demonstration program several computer next year including norwegian nuse swedish smil australian silliac polish odra marienbad dutch nimbus french antinéa nimrod created four year invention cathoderay tube amusement device earliest known interactive electronic game one year similar purpose built gameplaying machine bertie brain first computerbased game feature visual display sort nimrod considered definition one first video game possibly second definition vary prior cathoderay tube amusement device purely analog electrical game nimrod bertie feature electronic screen game running computer softwarebased tictactoe game oxo draught program christopher strachey programmed year later first computer game display visuals electronic screen rather light bulb nimrod computer