Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers Subject: Videogames folklore From: fredrick.backman@pmail.net (Fredrick Backman) Organization: Binary Spells Message-ID: <8DF7BFBE8fredrickbackmanpmail@news1.telia.com> User-Agent: Xnews/2.06.20 Lines: 40 Date: Fri, 02 Jul 1999 16:49:25 GMT NNTP-Posting-Host: 195.67.224.194 X-Complaints-To: abuse@telia.com X-Trace: newsb.telia.net 930934165 195.67.224.194 (Fri, 02 Jul 1999 18:49:25 CEST) NNTP-Posting-Date: Fri, 02 Jul 1999 18:49:25 CEST Path: chonsp.franklin.ch!pfaff.ethz.ch!news-zh.switch.ch!news-ge.switch.ch!feed2.news.luth.se!luth.se!news-peer-europe.sprintlink.net!news.sprintlink.net!news.algonet.se!algonet!masternews.telia.net!newsb.telia.net.POSTED!not-for-mail Hi ppl, I am doing some research on the history of videogames for the purpose of making a website about videogames folklore (where "videogames" include everything from arcade machines, computer games and simple console text adventures - you name it), and I would appreciate some ideas from you. First of all I am looking for information about the first videogame. So far I have found a few references to a game called Spacewar which was created by Steve Russell in 1960 (or at least the first version was created that year). I would like to hear if any of you people can verify this based on what you know, or if you know of any older games? Second, do you know any good books or websites which have information about videogames folklore? I've read Steven Levy's "Hackers" which is very good. Finally, do you have any videogames folklore to tell? It can be something funny you're read or heard, or something which has happened to yourself. Here's something which happened to me and my friend when we were both 16- year old nerds hacking on the Commodore 64. We made this assembler game (6502 *nostalgic sigh*) and when the game was finished, we printed the game out on the matrix printer and put the whole listing on the floor (all pages attach to each other like toilet paper is) from wall to wall and we just stood there and looked at all those lines of assembler code. That's the closest to God I've ever been. I'd be most pleased to hear from you! Go on, dig out those old videogames from your closets! :-) Many thanks in advance. cheers Fred -- Fred Backman Lead Wizard Binary Spells www.femmefetish.com/games/ ###### From: gleason@mwk.com (Lee K. Gleason) Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers Subject: Re: Videogames folklore Message-ID: Date: 2 Jul 99 15:42:53 CST References: <8DF7BFBE8fredrickbackmanpmail@news1.telia.com> Organization: M. W. Kellogg, Houston TX Lines: 25 Path: chonsp.franklin.ch!pfaff.ethz.ch!news-zh.switch.ch!kanja.arnes.si!news-hub.siol.net!news-out.cwix.com!newsfeed.cwix.com!208.155.140.137!news.campuscwix.net!uky.edu!atl-news-feed1.bbnplanet.com!news.gtei.net!mwk!gleason In article , Eric Fischer writes: > > The best sources I know for information about Spacewar are: > > J. M. Graetz, "The Origin of Spacewar," Creative Computing, August, > 1981; also at http://pobox.com/~enf/lore/spacewar/spacewar.html > > D. J. Edwards and J. M. Graetz, "PDP-1 Plays at Spacewar," Decuscope, > vol. 1, no. 1, April, 1962, pp. 2-4. > > J. M. Graetz, "Spacewar! Real-Time Capability of the PDP-1," Papers > and Proceedings of the DECUS Technical Meeting, May 17, 1962, Lexington, > Massachusetts; abstract appears in Decuscope, vol. 1, no. 3, June, 1962. > > Edward K. Yasaki, "Computing at Stanford," Datamation, November, 1963, > pp. 43-45. > There was an article about it in that scholarly research journal, "Rolling Stone", circa 1971 or 72... Lee K. Gleason N5ZMR Control-G Consultants gleason@insync.net ###### Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers From: Eric Fischer Subject: Re: Videogames folklore X-Nntp-Posting-Host: fudge.uchicago.edu Message-ID: Originator: eric@fudge.uchicago.edu (Eric Fischer) Sender: news@midway.uchicago.edu (News Administrator) X-Newsposter: Pnews 4.0-test51 (15 Jan 97) Organization: The University of Chicago References: <8DF7BFBE8fredrickbackmanpmail@news1.telia.com> Date: Fri, 2 Jul 1999 19:56:14 GMT Lines: 51 Path: chonsp.franklin.ch!pfaff.ethz.ch!news-zh.switch.ch!news-ge.switch.ch!news.maxwell.syr.edu!newsswitch.lcs.mit.edu!uchinews2!uchinews!not-for-mail Fredrick Backman wrote: > I am doing some research on the history of videogames You should probably take a look at the rec.games.video.classic newsgroup, which specializes in historic video games. > First of all I am looking for information about the first videogame. So far > I have found a few references to a game called Spacewar which was created > by Steve Russell in 1960 (or at least the first version was created that > year). I would like to hear if any of you people can verify this based on > what you know, or if you know of any older games? I don't think that date is accurate. MIT didn't receive the PDP-1 on which Spacewar was written until the fall of 1961. (See "Digital Equipment Corporation Presents Computer to MIT," CACM, vol. 5, no. 1, January, 1962, p. 68.) I think the only PDP-1 in operation in 1960 was the one at Bolt Beranek and Newman. The best sources I know for information about Spacewar are: J. M. Graetz, "The Origin of Spacewar," Creative Computing, August, 1981; also at http://pobox.com/~enf/lore/spacewar/spacewar.html D. J. Edwards and J. M. Graetz, "PDP-1 Plays at Spacewar," Decuscope, vol. 1, no. 1, April, 1962, pp. 2-4. J. M. Graetz, "Spacewar! Real-Time Capability of the PDP-1," Papers and Proceedings of the DECUS Technical Meeting, May 17, 1962, Lexington, Massachusetts; abstract appears in Decuscope, vol. 1, no. 3, June, 1962. Edward K. Yasaki, "Computing at Stanford," Datamation, November, 1963, pp. 43-45. and the emulated PDP-1 (complete with Spacewar source code) at http://lcs.www.media.mit.edu/groups/el/projects/spacewar/ > Second, do you know any good books or websites which have information about > videogames folklore? http://www.videogames.org is a good place to start. > I've read Steven Levy's "Hackers" which is very good. It's a very interesting book, and it's what got me interested in the history of computing in the first place, but unfortunately you can't trust everything he says. eric ###### Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers Subject: Re: Videogames folklore From: fredrick.backman@pmail.net (Fredrick Backman) References: <8DF7BFBE8fredrickbackmanpmail@news1.telia.com> Organization: Binary Spells Message-ID: <8DF7EB075fredrickbackmanpmail@news1.telia.com> User-Agent: Xnews/2.06.20 Lines: 22 Date: Fri, 02 Jul 1999 21:04:42 GMT NNTP-Posting-Host: 195.67.224.35 X-Complaints-To: abuse@telia.com X-Trace: newsb.telia.net 930949482 195.67.224.35 (Fri, 02 Jul 1999 23:04:42 CEST) NNTP-Posting-Date: Fri, 02 Jul 1999 23:04:42 CEST Path: chonsp.franklin.ch!pfaff.ethz.ch!news-zh.switch.ch!news-ge.switch.ch!news.belnet.be!news-feed.inet.tele.dk!bofh.vszbr.cz!masternews.telia.net!newsb.telia.net.POSTED!not-for-mail enf@pobox.com (Eric Fischer) wrote in : >Fredrick Backman wrote: > >> I am doing some research on the history of videogames > >You should probably take a look at the rec.games.video.classic newsgroup, >which specializes in historic video games. I didn't realise there was such a newsgroup! Thanks for the tip! [snip] > >> I've read Steven Levy's "Hackers" which is very good. > >It's a very interesting book, and it's what got me interested in the >history of computing in the first place, but unfortunately you can't >trust everything he says. I don't :-) Anyway, thanks for all the references, much appreciated! ###### From: benh@lsl.co.uk (Ben Hutchings) Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers Subject: Re: Videogames folklore Date: 5 Jul 1999 13:02:59 GMT Organization: Laser-Scan Ltd. Message-ID: <7lqae3$s52@relay.lsl.co.uk> References: <8DF7BFBE8fredrickbackmanpmail@news1.telia.com> NNTP-Posting-Host: lsla1a.lsl.co.uk X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.2 PL2] Lines: 14 Path: chonsp.franklin.ch!pfaff.ethz.ch!news-zh.switch.ch!news-ge.switch.ch!newscore.univie.ac.at!europa.netcrusader.net!194.159.255.21!dispose.news.demon.net!demon!tank.news.pipex.net!pipex!warm.news.pipex.net!pipex!news.lsl.co.uk!benh Fredrick Backman (fredrick.backman@pmail.net) wrote: : Hi ppl, : I am doing some research on the history of videogames for the purpose of : making a website about videogames folklore (where "videogames" include : everything from arcade machines, computer games and simple console text : adventures - you name it), and I would appreciate some ideas from you. There's a lot of information about 80s computer/console games at the `Anally-Retentive Retro Games Home' - . -- Any opinions expressed are my own and not necessarily those of Laser-Scan.