An Early Danish Computer Game: The case of Nim, Piet Hein, and Regnecentralen

Anker Helms Jørgensen

Publikation: Konference artikel i Proceeding eller bog/rapport kapitelKonferencebidrag i proceedingsForskningpeer review

Abstract

This paper reports on the development of Nimbi, which is an early computer game implemented at the Danish Computer Company Regnecentralen in 1962-63. Nimbi is a variant of the ancient game Nim. The paper traces the primary origins of the development of Nimbi. These include a mathematical analysis from 1901 of Nim that “killed the game” as the outcome could be predicted quite easily; the desire of the Danish inventor Piet Hein to make a game that eluded such analyses; and the desire of Piet Hein to have computers play games against humans. The development of Nimbi was successful in spite of considerable technical obstacles. However, it seems that the game was not used for publicizing the capabilities of computers – at least not widely – as was the case with earlier Nim implementations, such as the British Nim-playing computer Nimrod in 1951. 
OriginalsprogEngelsk
TitelHistory of Nordic Computing 2
RedaktørerJohn Impagliazzo, Timo Järvi, Petri Paju
Antal sider6
ForlagSpringer
Publikationsdato2009
Sider283-288
ISBN (Trykt)978-3-642-03756-6
DOI
StatusUdgivet - 2009
BegivenhedHistory of Nordic Computing 2 - Tampere, Finland
Varighed: 21 aug. 200723 aug. 2007

Konference

KonferenceHistory of Nordic Computing 2
Land/OmrådeFinland
ByTampere
Periode21/08/200723/08/2007
NavnIFIP Advances in Information and Communication Technology
Nummer303/2009
ISSN1868-4238

Citationsformater