OXO (Noughts and Crosses)

OXO is a graphical computer game developed by A.S. Douglas in 1952. It is a version of tic-tac-toe (also known as noughts and crosses) that was created for the Electronic Delay Storage Automatic Calculator (EDSAC), one of the first electronic computers. OXO is considered to be one of the first video games ever created.

The game was programmed as part of Douglas’s thesis on human-computer interaction at the University of Cambridge. OXO was designed to be a simple game that could be easily understood by users, and it was also designed to be a test of the EDSAC’s capabilities.

OXO is played on a 3×3 grid. The player and the computer take turns placing either an X or an O on the grid. The first player to get three of their symbols in a row (horizontally, vertically, or diagonally) wins the game. If the grid is filled up and neither player has three in a row, the game is a draw.

OXO was a significant achievement in the early history of video games. It was one of the first games to be played on a computer, and it helped to pave the way for the development of more complex and sophisticated games in the years to come.

Here are some additional details about OXO:

• The game was written in machine code, which is the lowest level of programming language.
• The graphics for the game were simple, consisting of large dots that represented the grid and the Xs and Os.
• The game was played using a rotary telephone controller. The player would dial the number of the square they wanted to place their symbol on.
• OXO was only ever shown to staff and students at Cambridge University. It was never released to the public.

Despite its limited release, OXO is considered to be an important historical artifact. It is a reminder of the early days of video games, and it helped to pave the way for the development of the modern video game industry.