{"id":3936,"date":"2026-07-08T07:22:33","date_gmt":"2026-07-08T14:22:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sswireless.net\/?p=3936"},"modified":"2026-07-08T07:22:33","modified_gmt":"2026-07-08T14:22:33","slug":"a-guide-to-national-video-game-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sswireless.net\/?p=3936","title":{"rendered":"A Guide To National Video Game Day"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"cvGsUA direction-ltr align-center para-style-body\"><span class=\"a_GcMg font-feature-liga-off font-feature-clig-off font-feature-calt-off text-decoration-none text-strikethrough-none\">National Video Game Day powers up every year on July 8<\/span><span class=\"a_GcMg font-feature-liga-off font-feature-clig-off font-feature-calt-off text-decoration-none text-strikethrough-none font-size-modifier vertical-align\">th<\/span><span class=\"a_GcMg font-feature-liga-off font-feature-clig-off font-feature-calt-off text-decoration-none text-strikethrough-none\">. A holiday dedicated to one of the beloved forms of entertainment in the world. Whether you grew up feeding quarters into arcade machines or logging hours on the latest open-world RPG, today is your day.<\/span><\/p>\n<h6 class=\"cvGsUA direction-ltr align-center para-style-body\"><span class=\"a_GcMg font-feature-liga-off font-feature-clig-off font-feature-calt-off text-decoration-none text-strikethrough-none\">A Quick History of National Video Game Day<\/span><\/h6>\n<p class=\"cvGsUA direction-ltr align-center para-style-body\"><span class=\"a_GcMg font-feature-liga-off font-feature-clig-off font-feature-calt-off text-decoration-none text-strikethrough-none\">National Video Game Day has been recognized since at least the early 1990&#8217;s, appearing in Chanse\u2019s Calendar of Events as early as 1991. BY 1997, the date officially shifted to September<\/span> <span class=\"a_GcMg font-feature-liga-off font-feature-clig-off font-feature-calt-off text-decoration-none text-strikethrough-none\">12, and both days are still acknowledged by gamers today.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"cvGsUA direction-ltr align-center para-style-body\"><span class=\"a_GcMg font-feature-liga-off font-feature-clig-off font-feature-calt-off text-decoration-none text-strikethrough-none\">But the real story starts much earlier:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong><span class=\"a_GcMg font-feature-liga-off font-feature-clig-off font-feature-calt-off text-decoration-none text-strikethrough-none\">Cathode-Ray Tube Amusement Device:<\/span><\/strong><span class=\"a_GcMg font-feature-liga-off font-feature-clig-off font-feature-calt-off text-decoration-none text-strikethrough-none\"> patented by Thomas T. Goldsmith and Estle Ray Mann in 1948, this used a radar-like screen<\/span> <span class=\"a_GcMg font-feature-liga-off font-feature-clig-off font-feature-calt-off text-decoration-none text-strikethrough-none\">allowing players to control a dot representing a missile targeting an airplane<\/span><\/li>\n<li><strong><span class=\"a_GcMg font-feature-liga-off font-feature-clig-off font-feature-calt-off text-decoration-none text-strikethrough-none\">OXO: <\/span><\/strong><span class=\"a_GcMg font-feature-liga-off font-feature-clig-off font-feature-calt-off text-decoration-none text-strikethrough-none\">Created by Alexander S. Douglas at the University of Cambridge in 1952, this was a computerized, graphical version of Tic-Tac-Toe that was played on a massive vacuum tube computer.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><strong><span class=\"a_GcMg font-feature-liga-off font-feature-clig-off font-feature-calt-off text-decoration-none text-strikethrough-none\">Spacewar!:<\/span> <\/strong><span class=\"a_GcMg font-feature-liga-off font-feature-clig-off font-feature-calt-off text-decoration-none text-strikethrough-none\">Created by MIT students in 1962, this was widely recognized as the first digital computer game played on a video screen, kicking off gaming in research labs.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><strong><span class=\"a_GcMg font-feature-liga-off font-feature-clig-off font-feature-calt-off text-decoration-none text-strikethrough-none\">Pong:<\/span><\/strong><span class=\"a_GcMg font-feature-liga-off font-feature-clig-off font-feature-calt-off text-decoration-none text-strikethrough-none\"> Developed by Atari in 1972, this table tennis simulation became the world\u2019s first commercially successful video game, igniting the modern gaming industry.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h6 class=\"cvGsUA direction-ltr align-center para-style-body\"><span class=\"a_GcMg font-feature-liga-off font-feature-clig-off font-feature-calt-off text-decoration-none text-strikethrough-none\">Why We Celebrate &amp; Ways To Join In<\/span><\/h6>\n<p class=\"cvGsUA direction-ltr align-center para-style-body\"><span class=\"a_GcMg font-feature-liga-off font-feature-clig-off font-feature-calt-off text-decoration-none text-strikethrough-none\">Video games are not just for entertainment; they are for storytelling, creativity, technology, and community all in one. They bring people together and spark imagination. They always create memories that last a lifetime. National Video Game Day is all about celebrating that impact while enjoying the games and experiences that shape us.<\/span><\/p>\n<h6 class=\"cvGsUA direction-ltr align-center para-style-body\"><span class=\"a_GcMg font-feature-liga-off font-feature-clig-off font-feature-calt-off text-decoration-none text-strikethrough-none\">Here are some meaningful and fun ways to honor the day:<\/span><\/h6>\n<ul>\n<li><span class=\"a_GcMg font-feature-liga-off font-feature-clig-off font-feature-calt-off text-decoration-none text-strikethrough-none\"><strong>Play your favorite Games:<\/strong> <\/span><span class=\"a_GcMg font-feature-liga-off font-feature-clig-off font-feature-calt-off text-decoration-none text-strikethrough-none\">Rediscover the titles that shaped your childhood or jump into the ones you can\u2019t get enough of today.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><strong><span class=\"a_GcMg font-feature-liga-off font-feature-clig-off font-feature-calt-off text-decoration-none text-strikethrough-none\">Host a gaming marathon: <\/span><\/strong><span class=\"a_GcMg font-feature-liga-off font-feature-clig-off font-feature-calt-off text-decoration-none text-strikethrough-none\">Spend the night playing, laughing, and enjoying your favorite title, with the people that matter most.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span class=\"a_GcMg font-feature-liga-off font-feature-clig-off font-feature-calt-off text-decoration-none text-strikethrough-none\"><strong>Explore the retro classics<\/strong>: <\/span><span class=\"a_GcMg font-feature-liga-off font-feature-clig-off font-feature-calt-off text-decoration-none text-strikethrough-none\">Dust off your old consoles or visit a local arcade for a hit of nostalgia<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"cvGsUA direction-ltr align-center para-style-body\">\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<pre class=\"cvGsUA direction-ltr align-center para-style-body\"><span class=\"a_GcMg font-feature-liga-off font-feature-clig-off font-feature-calt-off text-decoration-none text-strikethrough-none\">P.S. Staff thinks DOOM was revolutionary.<\/span><\/pre>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Video games are not just for entertainment; they are for storytelling, creativity, technology, and community all in one. They bring people together and spark imagination. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","inline_featured_image":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[54],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3936","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-holiday"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>A Guide To National Video Game Day - Straight Shot Wireless<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Celebrate World Video Game Day with fun facts, gaming history, and tips for enjoying the day with a fast, reliable connection. Level up your play with our guide.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sswireless.net\/?p=3936\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A Guide To National Video Game Day - Straight Shot Wireless\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Celebrate World Video Game Day with fun facts, gaming history, and tips for enjoying the day with a fast, reliable connection. Level up your play with our guide.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/sswireless.net\/?p=3936\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Straight Shot Wireless\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-07-08T14:22:33+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Sera McKinney\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Sera McKinney\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sswireless.net\\\/?p=3936#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sswireless.net\\\/?p=3936\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Sera McKinney\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sswireless.net\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/3b2b9591db0a1fb73d5c51c591c48ede\"},\"headline\":\"A Guide To National Video Game Day\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-08T14:22:33+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sswireless.net\\\/?p=3936\"},\"wordCount\":351,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sswireless.net\\\/#organization\"},\"articleSection\":[\"Holiday\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/sswireless.net\\\/?p=3936#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sswireless.net\\\/?p=3936\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sswireless.net\\\/?p=3936\",\"name\":\"A Guide To National Video Game Day - Straight Shot Wireless\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sswireless.net\\\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-08T14:22:33+00:00\",\"description\":\"Celebrate World Video Game Day with fun facts, gaming history, and tips for enjoying the day with a fast, reliable connection. Level up your play with our guide.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sswireless.net\\\/?p=3936#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/sswireless.net\\\/?p=3936\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sswireless.net\\\/?p=3936#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sswireless.net\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"A Guide To National Video Game Day\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sswireless.net\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sswireless.net\\\/\",\"name\":\"Straight Shot Wireless\",\"description\":\"Reliable Speed, Dependable Networks\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sswireless.net\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sswireless.net\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sswireless.net\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Straight Shot Wireless\",\"alternateName\":\"SSW\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sswireless.net\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sswireless.net\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"http:\\\/\\\/sswireless.net\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2017\\\/07\\\/SSW.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"http:\\\/\\\/sswireless.net\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2017\\\/07\\\/SSW.png\",\"width\":600,\"height\":236,\"caption\":\"Straight Shot Wireless\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sswireless.net\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sswireless.net\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/3b2b9591db0a1fb73d5c51c591c48ede\",\"name\":\"Sera McKinney\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/410065c6da476f383318582eec6930d943c3f879a8e026ca8b212282e54cecb1?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/410065c6da476f383318582eec6930d943c3f879a8e026ca8b212282e54cecb1?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/410065c6da476f383318582eec6930d943c3f879a8e026ca8b212282e54cecb1?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Sera McKinney\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sswireless.net\\\/?author=9\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"A Guide To National Video Game Day - Straight Shot Wireless","description":"Celebrate World Video Game Day with fun facts, gaming history, and tips for enjoying the day with a fast, reliable connection. Level up your play with our guide.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/sswireless.net\/?p=3936","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"A Guide To National Video Game Day - Straight Shot Wireless","og_description":"Celebrate World Video Game Day with fun facts, gaming history, and tips for enjoying the day with a fast, reliable connection. Level up your play with our guide.","og_url":"https:\/\/sswireless.net\/?p=3936","og_site_name":"Straight Shot Wireless","article_published_time":"2026-07-08T14:22:33+00:00","author":"Sera McKinney","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Sera McKinney","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/sswireless.net\/?p=3936#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/sswireless.net\/?p=3936"},"author":{"name":"Sera McKinney","@id":"https:\/\/sswireless.net\/#\/schema\/person\/3b2b9591db0a1fb73d5c51c591c48ede"},"headline":"A Guide To National Video Game Day","datePublished":"2026-07-08T14:22:33+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/sswireless.net\/?p=3936"},"wordCount":351,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/sswireless.net\/#organization"},"articleSection":["Holiday"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/sswireless.net\/?p=3936#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/sswireless.net\/?p=3936","url":"https:\/\/sswireless.net\/?p=3936","name":"A Guide To National Video Game Day - Straight Shot Wireless","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/sswireless.net\/#website"},"datePublished":"2026-07-08T14:22:33+00:00","description":"Celebrate World Video Game Day with fun facts, gaming history, and tips for enjoying the day with a fast, reliable connection. Level up your play with our guide.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/sswireless.net\/?p=3936#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/sswireless.net\/?p=3936"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/sswireless.net\/?p=3936#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/sswireless.net\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"A Guide To National Video Game Day"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/sswireless.net\/#website","url":"https:\/\/sswireless.net\/","name":"Straight Shot Wireless","description":"Reliable Speed, Dependable Networks","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/sswireless.net\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/sswireless.net\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/sswireless.net\/#organization","name":"Straight Shot Wireless","alternateName":"SSW","url":"https:\/\/sswireless.net\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/sswireless.net\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"http:\/\/sswireless.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/SSW.png","contentUrl":"http:\/\/sswireless.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/SSW.png","width":600,"height":236,"caption":"Straight Shot Wireless"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/sswireless.net\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/sswireless.net\/#\/schema\/person\/3b2b9591db0a1fb73d5c51c591c48ede","name":"Sera McKinney","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/410065c6da476f383318582eec6930d943c3f879a8e026ca8b212282e54cecb1?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/410065c6da476f383318582eec6930d943c3f879a8e026ca8b212282e54cecb1?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/410065c6da476f383318582eec6930d943c3f879a8e026ca8b212282e54cecb1?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Sera McKinney"},"url":"https:\/\/sswireless.net\/?author=9"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sswireless.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3936","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sswireless.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sswireless.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sswireless.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sswireless.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3936"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sswireless.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3936\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3937,"href":"https:\/\/sswireless.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3936\/revisions\/3937"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sswireless.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3936"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sswireless.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3936"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sswireless.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3936"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}