Source : Free On-Line Dictionary of Computing

SPACEWAR
     
         A space-combat simulation game, inspired by
        E. E. "Doc" Smith's "Lensman" books, in which two spaceships
        duel around a central sun, shooting torpedoes at each other
        and jumping through hyperspace.  This game was first
        implemented on the PDP-1 at MIT in 1960--61.
     
        SPACEWAR aficionados formed the core of the early hacker
        culture at {MIT}.  Nine years later, a descendant of the game
        motivated {Ken Thompson} to build, in his spare time on a
        scavenged {PDP-7}, the {operating system} that became {Unix}.
        Less than nine years after that, SPACEWAR was commercialised
        as one of the first video games; descendants are still
        {feep}ing in video arcades everywhere.
     
        ["SPACEWAR" or "Space Travel"?]
     
        [{Jargon File}]
     
        (1994-11-07)