4 ms·
They were called "video games" before people started using computers to play them.
by marssaxman 10y ago
They were called "video games" before people started using computers to play them.
- shmerl 10y agoWhat did they use then if not computers?
- grzm 10y agoConsoles and arcade game machines, to name two. Yes, they're arguably computers at heart, but they're not what are generally understood to be computers in the same way PCs are.
- shmerl 10y agoThose are still computers. Form factor doesn't change that.
- grzm 10y agoThey weren't called computers or computer games. I understood your initial comment as asking why PC games are sometimes called (improperly in your opinion) video games. If I've misunderstood your intention, please correct me. If this explanation doesn't satisfy you, that's fine. Having lived through that period of time, that's my recollection. Edit to add: I remember getting an early console at a garage sale. I think it was likely a Magnavox Odyssey 200 or 400[0]. I also remember friends with early Atari and Intellivision[1] consoles long before home PCs were common. These were called video games, TV games or by their brand names, as I recall. [0]: http://www.slipperybrick.com/2009/03/atari-vcs-2600/ http://www.slipperybrick.com/2009/03/atari-vcs-2600/ [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intellivision https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intellivision
- shmerl 10y agoI'm talking about all computer games, so not PC only. I understand where the term "video game" comes from, I was just saying I prefer "computer game", as highlighting that computing plays a role in it, and not limiting it to visual aspects only.
- deleted 10y ago[deleted]
- grzm 10y agoThank you for clarifying. That wasn't apparent from your earlier comments. I know for me personally, when someone refers to "computer games", I think specifically of PC games, not other form factors.
- DanBC 10y agoHave a look at the PONG original circuit diagram which uses discrete logic. It's hard to call that a computer. http://atarihq.com/danb/Pong.shtml http://atarihq.com/danb/Pong.shtml http://hackaday.com/2012/12/22/fabricating-hardware-from-the-original-arcade-pong-schematics/ http://hackaday.com/2012/12/22/fabricating-hardware-from-the...
- shmerl 10y agoI don't think this was the first such game. There were computer games which predate it. Either way, even if electronic games existed that didn't use computers, computers clearly took that role being more versatile.