4 ms·

As pointed out in the article, I'd opt for a definition about a visual, interactive feedback loop running in real-time and wouldn't care about the method used t

As pointed out in the article, I'd opt for a definition about a visual, interactive feedback loop running in real-time and wouldn't care about the method used to display the visuals. E.g., if you were displaying Space Invaders on a neon matrix on your mainframe's control console, I'm fine with that. (This is also, why I didn't dig into the claims or the verdict of the court case.) However, things worked out a bit different in the Magnavox lawsuits. Notably, Ralph Baer didn't understand, why lawyers would concentrate on the analog vs video side of things. To him, it was all about a principal claim about detecting object collisions between a human controlled screen object and one controlled by the machine. (Compare his view on these legal matters as in "VIDEOGAME HISTORY: A little matter of record keeping" [1].) From this angle, there is no intersection with Michigan Pool, since the positioning of the cue stick isn't of any relevance to the program, only the angle as chosen by the knob, regardless of the on-screen position of the cue stick. So there's no collision detection involved for cuing, and when collisions are subsequently detected, these are all between machine controlled objects. [1] http://www.ipmall.info/sites/default/files/hosted_resources/Activision_Readings/VIDEOGAME_HISTORY_Aittlematter_record_keeping.pdf http://www.ipmall.info/sites/default/files/hosted_resources/...

jccalhoun 7y ago
Definitions are always tough. Are text adventure games "video games?" How about games with no visuals at all like A Blind Lengend http://www.ablindlegend.com/en/home-2/ http://www.ablindlegend.com/en/home-2/ What about things like Mattel Football? When I've taught videogame courses I ask my students these questions and they often fall back on the old "I know it when I see it" rational.
- masswerk 7y ago
  Are text adventures video games? With a focus on the kind of interaction, probably not. However, it may be interesting to observe, how computer games tend to reflect the mode of HCI in general. In the days of X-Y displays and console switches (and light pens as well) – wherever those had been available –, video games may have been a more obvious option. On the other hand, exploring the parsers of text adventures and the world hidden behind them reflects perfectly the principal mode of interaction in the age of terminals and time sharing (or text consoles in general). P.S.: Compare https://www.masswerk.at/pmd/ https://www.masswerk.at/pmd/ – ist this a video game? If so, close the map window (enter "hide map"), is it still a video game?

jccalhoun 7y ago

Definitions are always tough. Are text adventure games "video games?" How about games with no visuals at all like A Blind Lengend http://www.ablindlegend.com/en/home-2/ http://www.ablindlegend.com/en/home-2/ What about things like Mattel Football? When I've taught videogame courses I ask my students these questions and they often fall back on the old "I know it when I see it" rational.

masswerk 7y ago
Are text adventures video games? With a focus on the kind of interaction, probably not. However, it may be interesting to observe, how computer games tend to reflect the mode of HCI in general. In the days of X-Y displays and console switches (and light pens as well) – wherever those had been available –, video games may have been a more obvious option. On the other hand, exploring the parsers of text adventures and the world hidden behind them reflects perfectly the principal mode of interaction in the age of terminals and time sharing (or text consoles in general). P.S.: Compare https://www.masswerk.at/pmd/ https://www.masswerk.at/pmd/ – ist this a video game? If so, close the map window (enter "hide map"), is it still a video game?