Game 1A - Semester Review

Claire asked for a new game console for her upcoming 15th birthday, but her dad had no idea what a game console was. Claire’s dad had to look up the definition of a ‘game console’ to be sure that he purchased the right gift. What definition did Claire’s dad likely find when he looked up ‘game consoles’?

• handheld devices that allow an individual to play video games on-the-go

• devices that hook up to a TV or other display and are designed to play video games

• goggles in 3-D that allow individuals to play virtual reality type games in a fully immersive experience

• devices that are connected to a 3-D projector and allow individuals to experience virtual reality on a big screen

The first video games date back to the Brookhaven National Laboratory in New York. What dates do the first generation of video games span across?

• early 1970s – early 1990s

• late 1970s - 1985

• 1958 – early 1970s

• early 1980s - 1991

Senet is one of oldest games in history and dates all the way back to when?

• 1820

• 1200 BCE

• 3400 BCE

• 570 CE

In order to create the classic game Tennis for Two, what did William Higinbotham hook up to an analog computer?

• a nuclear reactor

• an oscilloscope

Computer scientist Steve Russell and his team created Spacewar! in order to show off the PDP-1’s processing power. What exactly were Russell and his team trying to show off in terms of the processing power?

• the basic units of programmable color in an image or a display as seen on a computer screen like the PDP-1

• two-dimensional images or animations that are integrated into a game and displayed by a computer like the PDP-1

• the part of a computer system, like the PDP-1 that contains encoded information or instructions for the hardware

• the speed at which a computer, like the PDP-1, can carry out the operations of a program

What does a human player operate if they are playing a game through an old-fashioned oscilloscope?

• voice commands and buttons

• a touchscreen and buttons

• buttons and a joystick

• buttons and dials

The classic game Pong was inspired by what other classic game?

• Pac-Man

• Dungeons and Dragons

• Spacewar!

• Tennis for Two

When Magnavo Odyssey was created in 1972, how were games accessed by players?

• cartridges

• built into the system itself

What was the first commercially successful, cartridge-based video game console that introduced the concept of housing game software separate to the game console, making the release of new games cheaper?

• 3D Tic-Tac-Toe

• Atari 2600 VCS

• Tennis for Two

• Sega Genesis

What quality does a prototype need to be useful in development?

• It must be play-tested.

• It must be digital.

• It must be release-worthy.

• It must be complete.