Game Consoles
By Glynda Pflug
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Do you remember when video games were the popular thing to have -- not just the little hand-held games, but the big gaming systems?
Window on the Plains Museum received a donation recently of three of the gaming systems that were popular in the late 1970's and 1980's. These systems were the early beginnings of gaming that has consumed the time of most children and many adults today. One of the systems is a Coleco Telstar Arcade, made in 1978. It has three games -- road race, tennis and quick draw. The console has three sides and the player rotates the console to his choice of games. The second game is made by Mattel Electronic. It is an Intellivision Intelligent Television game. It works with cartridges that allow a variety of games. This game came with one cartridge -- poker and blackjack. According to the box, it "turns your tv set into a family center for entertainment, games and learning fun." The price on the box was $39. The Socrates Education Video System will "turn your tv into a one-to-one learning and fun center." It was developed in 1988 and cost of the system was $139.97. It has five built-in subjects with 90 program variations and it "takes your child through math, spelling, word games, music and art." According to the system, it "stimulates children's minds and helps them become better students." In the thirty or forty years since these games were on the market, games have become more complex, but smaller in size. Gaming is definitely here to stay. Whether games are played on a gaming console, a tablet or a phone, they intrigue players of all ages. |
Coleco Telstar Arcade
Intellivision Intelligent Television Game
Socrates Education Video System
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