Video Games
Video games are games and amusements which require modern electronic components, including one or more input devices and a video
screen; the play itself derives from information stored and manipulated using electronic memory. The first primitive vidoe games
first appeared in the early 1960's, then slowly grew more in sophistication as computer technology itself advanced.
In 1971, Computer Space, created by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney, was the first commercially-sold, coin-operated video game.
It used a black-and-white television for its display, and the computer system was made of 74 series TTL chips. The game was featured
in the 1973 science fiction film Soylent Green. Computer Space was followed in 1972 by the Magnavox Odyssey, the first
home console. Modeled after a late 1960's prototype console developed by Ralph H. Baer called the Brown Box, it also used a
standard television. These were followed by two versions of Atari's Pong; an arcade version in 1972 and a home version in 1975.
Pong proved to be popular, but imitators helped keep Atari from dominating the fledging coin-operated video game market.
Video game arcades sprang up in shopping malls, and small corner arcades appeared in restaurants, grocery stores, bars and
movie theaters all over the United States and other countries during the late 1970's and early 1980's. Games such as
Space Invaders (1978), Galaxian (1979), Pac-Man (1980),
Battlezone (1980), and Donkey Kong (1981) were especially popular.
During the late 70s and 80s, chains such as Chuck E. Cheese's, Ground Round, Dave and Busters, and Gatti's Pizza combined the traditional restaurant and/or bar environment with arcades.
By the late-1980s, the arcade video game craze was beginning to fade due to the reputation of arcades as being seedy, unsafe places as well as the advances in home video game console technology.
Video game collecting is the hobby of collecting video games and related memorabilia. Collectors may focus on a particular area of interest, such as retro consoles such Atari 2600 and NES. There may also be some overlap with animation, anime, manga, comic books, or other media.
Collecting video games differs from other hobbies in that the collectible is interactive, allowing it to be enjoyed as a game as long as it still functions. Nostalgia plays a large factor, as those who grew up with a certain generation of games may have stronger appreciation for games of that era.
A collector may have started out by purchasing video games with no intent to collect, and later find that the act of owning games is in itself the means to collecting, with games owned for display purposes rather than being played.
The value of a game depends on how sought after it becomes by collectors and casual gamers, especially rare games or games with a limited release. The condition of the game may also determine price, such as the quality of the cartridge or disc, label, and packaging. The inclusion of any packaging will increase value, as they are often thrown away.
In 1971, Computer Space, created by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney, was the first commercially-sold, coin-operated video game.
It used a black-and-white television for its display, and the computer system was made of 74 series TTL chips. The game was featured
in the 1973 science fiction film Soylent Green. Computer Space was followed in 1972 by the Magnavox Odyssey, the first
home console. Modeled after a late 1960's prototype console developed by Ralph H. Baer called the Brown Box, it also used a
standard television. These were followed by two versions of Atari's Pong; an arcade version in 1972 and a home version in 1975.
Pong proved to be popular, but imitators helped keep Atari from dominating the fledging coin-operated video game market.
Video game arcades sprang up in shopping malls, and small corner arcades appeared in restaurants, grocery stores, bars and
movie theaters all over the United States and other countries during the late 1970's and early 1980's. Games such as
Space Invaders (1978), Galaxian (1979), Pac-Man (1980),
Battlezone (1980), and Donkey Kong (1981) were especially popular.
During the late 70s and 80s, chains such as Chuck E. Cheese's, Ground Round, Dave and Busters, and Gatti's Pizza combined the traditional restaurant and/or bar environment with arcades.
By the late-1980s, the arcade video game craze was beginning to fade due to the reputation of arcades as being seedy, unsafe places as well as the advances in home video game console technology.
Video game collecting is the hobby of collecting video games and related memorabilia. Collectors may focus on a particular area of interest, such as retro consoles such Atari 2600 and NES. There may also be some overlap with animation, anime, manga, comic books, or other media.
Collecting video games differs from other hobbies in that the collectible is interactive, allowing it to be enjoyed as a game as long as it still functions. Nostalgia plays a large factor, as those who grew up with a certain generation of games may have stronger appreciation for games of that era.
A collector may have started out by purchasing video games with no intent to collect, and later find that the act of owning games is in itself the means to collecting, with games owned for display purposes rather than being played.
The value of a game depends on how sought after it becomes by collectors and casual gamers, especially rare games or games with a limited release. The condition of the game may also determine price, such as the quality of the cartridge or disc, label, and packaging. The inclusion of any packaging will increase value, as they are often thrown away.