SpaceWar! devs to receive Pioneer Awards from The AIAS

The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences (AIAS) will present Pioneer Awards to the creators of Spacewar! during an event hosted by the Smithsonian National Museum of American History this Thursday, November 29 at the Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation.

Spacewar! was developed back in 1962 and regarded as the game that helped launch the industry as it's known today. This event is part of the larger Videogame Pioneers Initiative (VPI) at the Smithsonian, created to preserve the beginnings and evolution of the industry.

After nearly 60 years since its creation, the celebration will bring together the seven remaining developers for a panel discussion and hands-on opportunity with the game.

Developers Dan Edwards, Martin Graetz, Steven Piner, Steve Russell, Peter Samson, Robert Saunders and Wayne Wiitanen will discuss how Spacewar! was created in their "spare time" when the Manchester Institute of Technology (MIT) received its first PDP-1 computer.

Titled Innovative Lives: The Pioneers of Spacewar!, the panel will be moderated by Bethesda Softworks founder Christopher Weaver, where the group will also look back at the growth of video games and the transformation of technology over the past several years.