GM 1A - Semester Review

What is the defining difference between a handheld or mobile console and “home” consoles like the Atari, NES, or Playstation 4?

• the size of the console

• whether they require a television

• the complexity of controls

• the type of games they offer

King Tut was buried with a variety of items that he might need in the afterlife, but what specific item was he buried with that would lead us to believe he was the original ‘gamer’?

• four ornate sets of the ancient board game called Senet

• several ancient books about gaming

• a PlayStation remote control

• notebooks filled with his brainstorms about creating video games

Priscilla and her team have just finished brainstorming new ideas for a feature to implement into their game. What should they do next?

• Create a new design document.

• Prototype a testable version of the feature.

• Debug the game.

• Add the feature to their marketing strategy.

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

• an accelerator

• a telescope

A game doesn’t exist until ___.

• someone buys it

• it is coded

• it is played

• it is debugged

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