# First video/computer game you ever played **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 13, 2005, 9:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-video-computer-game-you-ever-played/303658 "2005-05-13T09:51:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Jayn\_Newell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Jayn\_Newell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jayn_Newell)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2005, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-video-computer-game-you-ever-played/303658/21 "2005-05-13T13:03:35Z")
Good question. I got my first Nintendo when I was really young–possibly before school age–so it’s hard to remember right. I know I got Bump’n’Jump and another game with it, Pinball I think. Hard to say which one I popped in first. Plus it’s very possible I played something before that at a friend’s house. Ah, the memories. I still have the carts, but unfortunately my console bit the bullet a few years back. ---
**Author:** ![Heart\_On\_My\_Sleeve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/77aa72/32.png) [@Heart\_On\_My\_Sleeve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heart_On_My_Sleeve)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2005, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-video-computer-game-you-ever-played/303658/22 "2005-05-13T13:09:10Z")
Pong…it was the greatest thing since sliced bread 😛 A few others I remember in the early years: Pac man, Asteroids, Pitfall, ?Dungeons & Dragons?, Tempest. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2005, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-video-computer-game-you-ever-played/303658/23 "2005-05-13T13:18:06Z")
> [@Bosda Di'Chi of Tricor](#): > > _Asteroids_, the arcade version, was available before Pong. If you’re talking about personal experience, sure, but as far as when the games were released Pong (1972) was a good 7 years before Asteroids (1979). ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2005, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-video-computer-game-you-ever-played/303658/24 "2005-05-13T13:19:09Z")
To answer the question, I had a Pong home game console in 1974 ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2005, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-video-computer-game-you-ever-played/303658/25 "2005-05-13T13:36:56Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > If you’re talking about personal experience, sure, but as far as when the games were released Pong (1972) was a good 7 years before Asteroids (1979). No, dude–I’m talking about the stand-alone acrade version, which was available earlier. I know…I played it one time, when my Father & I went fishing. It was definately available before Pong. ---
**Author:** ![Scott\_Plaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Scott\_Plaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scott_Plaid)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2005, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-video-computer-game-you-ever-played/303658/26 "2005-05-13T13:57:20Z")
Bosda Di’Chi, is it possible you are talking about [Asteroid](http://www.klov.com/game_detail.php?letter=A&game_id=6938), also know as [Space Race](http://www.klov.com/game_detail.php?letter=A&game_id=9681) (Cool cabinet!) a racing game released in 1973? ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2005, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-video-computer-game-you-ever-played/303658/27 "2005-05-13T14:00:44Z")
I had the Radio Shack Pong knock-off, Television Scoreboard. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2005, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-video-computer-game-you-ever-played/303658/28 "2005-05-13T14:03:48Z")
> [@Scott\_plaid](#): > > Bosda Di’Chi, is it possible you are talking about [Asteroid](http://www.klov.com/game_detail.php?letter=A&game_id=6938), also know as [Space Race](http://www.klov.com/game_detail.php?letter=A&game_id=9681) (Cool cabinet!) a racing game released in 1973? Possibly, but I am blocked from game-related pages at work. I can’t even access my Hotmail. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![fishbicycle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aeb1de/32.png) [@fishbicycle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fishbicycle)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2005, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-video-computer-game-you-ever-played/303658/29 "2005-05-13T14:03:54Z")
My aunt and uncle got whatever original system it was with Pong on it, and I checked that out once, in 197x, for about 20 minutes. Then I entered the 20 Years’ Poverty, and the whole scene passed me by. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2005, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-video-computer-game-you-ever-played/303658/30 "2005-05-13T14:04:24Z")
Pong, definitely. On a PC, _Pirates_. I’m still playing that now (the remake). Sid Meier’s genius spans generations. ---
**Author:** ![Scott\_Plaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Scott\_Plaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scott_Plaid)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2005, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-video-computer-game-you-ever-played/303658/31 "2005-05-13T14:07:46Z")
> [@Bosda Di'Chi of Tricor](#): > > Possibly, but I am blocked from game-related pages at work. > I can’t even access my Hotmail. ☹ I feel your pain. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Trunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2005, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-video-computer-game-you-ever-played/303658/32 "2005-05-13T14:10:27Z")
[Mattel hand held football.](http://www.handheldmuseum.com/Mattel/FB.htm). Then, we discovered that my dad had an old PONG stashed in the house. Then, for Intellivision, maybe Baseball or “Triple Action” Computer: Zork or Omicron Arcade game: Space Invaders. ---
**Author:** ![Uncommon\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Uncommon\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncommon_Sense)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2005, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-video-computer-game-you-ever-played/303658/33 "2005-05-13T14:21:54Z")
Apple - I think the game was called **Sortie** , very cool graphics for an early game and pretty realistic movement. Intellivision - Some sort of open wheel type racing game, loved it. Atari - **Tank, Pitfall**. Ti994a- **Hunt the Wumpus** Commodore 64 - Whole bunch, don’t remeber the first but the best was **Bruce Lee**. Oh, actually **Jump-Man** was the best. Or maybe **Zork**. Arcade - **Space Invaders** , about $4 worth per day. Me and my bro also played the handheld Football by Mattel. I’m sure my Dad still has most of this stuff stashed in the casa somewhere. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2005, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-video-computer-game-you-ever-played/303658/34 "2005-05-13T14:25:35Z")
Probably either Combat or Pong, on the Atari 2600. A friend of my brother’s had the first system in the neighborhood. He was an amazing artist, and he won a Kellogg’s contest by drawing a great picture of Snap, Crackle, and Pop. The prize: the aforementioned Atari. So, we went over to his house and beheld all its glory. It was definitely pre-Pac Man. I remember waiting impatiently for the home version of Pac Man to come out, and being sorely disappointed when it was NOTHING like the arcade version. ---
**Author:** ![Uncommon\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Uncommon\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncommon_Sense)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2005, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-video-computer-game-you-ever-played/303658/35 "2005-05-13T14:27:15Z")
> [@Scumpup](#): > > First home computer game was something on the order of Lode Runner I manually programmed into a Texas Instruments computer from a program printed in a magazine. Oh, the joys. I remember doing that stuff like it was yesterday. Manually typing in programs then saving them to _a tape player_ which was hooked up to the computer. ---
**Author:** ![FilmGeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@FilmGeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FilmGeek)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2005, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-video-computer-game-you-ever-played/303658/36 "2005-05-13T15:52:00Z")
My first console was a Texas Instruments version of an Atari. I was probably 4 or so when we got it. The only game I liked was a maze running game called “A-Maze-Ing” or something. Before that, I’m sure it was Galaga or Ms Pac Man in an arcade. My first computer game was for the Apple IIGS my father bought in the eighties. The games I loved were text based, especially Rambo, Part II, (where, no matter what you did, you died within 20 seconds of dropping from the helicopter). ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2005, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-video-computer-game-you-ever-played/303658/37 "2005-05-13T15:56:34Z")
OK, I was wrong. I played one earlier! In 1974, my family & I went to the Chicago Museum of Science & Industry. They had a computer that played Tic-Tack-Toe. I lost. ---
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2005, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-video-computer-game-you-ever-played/303658/38 "2005-05-13T16:05:51Z")
My friend’s kids had a game called “Fireman, Save my Child” We called it the dead baby game. You controlled the fireman while the mommies tossed the babies out of the 4th floor window. If you missed it went “splat” It was just basicly stick figures and all it did was run back and forth, but the concept made us giggle. It was 1978, I think. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2005, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-video-computer-game-you-ever-played/303658/39 "2005-05-13T16:13:48Z")
The first video game system that we had was the ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2005, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-video-computer-game-you-ever-played/303658/40 "2005-05-13T16:16:30Z")
> [@adam yax](#): > > The first video game system that we had was the Damn, hit reply by mistake. The first video game system we had was the[Magnavox Odyssey](http://www.pong-story.com/odyssey.htm). It was strange - you had these things that you had to stick to the TV screen in order for the games to make sense. The only things that appeared on the screen were white blocks - not a problem for pong, but the haunted house game needed the thing on the screen to give you an idea of what was going on. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-video-computer-game-you-ever-played/303658.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-video-computer-game-you-ever-played/303658.md?page=3)