Video game systems

The first video game system I had was an Atari game console that only played pong and pong. The console used its television to visually display the game and its “action.” We were delighted with the system and spent many hours staring at the television screen with the eerie ping of pong hitting the paddles echoing throughout the room. The next video game system I had was also an Atari, but instead of being dedicated to a single game, it actually accepted a variety of cartridges that played wonderful games, including Asteroids, Space Invaders, and Pac-man. And once again we embrace them as wonderful advances in technology and introduce them to our children.

Before I knew it, the kids were asking for a Commodore 64. Now they wanted a personal computer and I was saving the money to buy one, because the price was right. The C64 did not require a monitor and could be connected to a television, and had graphics that evolved from simple Atari shapes to realistic drawings. Instead of all action games, some of the games involved problem solving and were much more “intellectual”. Even better, you could copy the games onto a cheap cassette tape and distribute them.

The next video game system that children asked for was the Nintendo Entertainment System. It had high-resolution, full-color tiled backgrounds, and the games were longer and contained more detailed graphics. Super Mario Brothers was the blockbuster game everyone wanted. When the Sega Mega Drive was introduced, they were still happy with their NES. Then the kids got over video game systems and it wasn’t until I discovered the role-playing game called Morrowind that I was drawn to PC video games. I was totally impressed! I couldn’t believe the advances in technology that allowed for such realism! And for my grandchildren, who by the way have Nintendo 64 and Play Station 2 and full access to PC games, these are common, everyday toys. How amazing is that !?