Spasim

Spasim (short for Space Simulation) is the first truly 3D First-Person Shooter, as well as the first true 3D online multiplayer game. It was written by Jim Bowery for the PLATO Network in 1974. It was inspired by Empire, and like Empire, used ships and weapons based on Star Trek.

Spasim allowed up to 32 players, in four teams of up to 8 players each. The first version was a simple Shoot'Em Up with phasers and torpedoes. The second version added home planets, space stations, and resource management. Teams had to work together in order to reach a distant planet filled with resources, while preventing rebellions on their home planets.

Spasim inspired Silas Warner to write a 3D dogfighting game called Airace, which evolved into Brand Fortner's Airfight and then into Sublogic's Flight Simulator (now Microsoft Flight Simulator). It also inspired John Edo Haefeli to write a tank game called Panther, which evolved into Atari's Battlezone 1980.


 * First-Person Shooter: First to use true 3D graphics, as opposed to the Faux First Person 3D of Maze War. Spasim's graphics were very simple, wireframe without hidden line removal.
 * Player Versus Player
 * Ray Gun: Phasers.
 * Shout-Out: Ships and weapons from Star Trek.
 * Trope Maker: For true 3D videogaming.