Retro Video Games and Game Systems Quiz

Answer: Magnavox

At the time Odyssey was introduced, the concept of playing games on TV sets was new. Video games were virtually unheard of in Europe at that time. Magnavox made the first attempt to bring the gaming market to Europe in 1973 when it imported Odyssey to the United Kingdom and other European countries.

Answer: Computer Space

"Computer Space" was the brainchild of Bill Nutting who founded Nutting Associates in 1968. The company's first computer game, "Computer Quiz," bombed. Despite the name, this game didn't actually have a computer in it. One of Nuttall's employees, Nolan Bushnell, had the idea of making an arcade game from the mainframe game "Spacewar!" and renamed it "Computer Space." Its success came from being innovative in that it was electronic and not electromagnetic. Electronic games eventually replaced the electromagnetic ones.

Answer: Puck-Man

"Pac-Man" was the invention of game designer Toru Iwatani. He chose the original name because paku paku is the Japanese slang word for the movement of a mouth opening and closing while eating which pretty much describes what "Pac-Man" does. Being Japanese, Iwatani couldn't have known what those who marketed the game in the United States did: the 'P' in Puck could easily be changed to the letter 'F'. Thus, "Puck-Man" became the less corruptible "Pac-Man".

Answer: I, Robot

What made the game so advanced technology-wise was that it was the first raster-graphics arcade video game to use true 3-D graphics. The game also introduced the first camera controls that allowed the player to view the action from different angles. Unfortunately, the use of 3-D graphics was too far ahead of its time and only confused game players. "I, Robot" was a financial failure but it paved the way for future computer games of the 1990s.

Answer: Swordquest

There were four games in all, based on the elements earth, fire, water, and air. They followed in that order and there was one winner in each category. Unfortunately, the company's financial troubles and the video game industry crash caused "Atari" major problems. The contest, although there were initial winners, was never completed.

Answer: Donkey Kong

"Donkey Kong" was the name of the gorilla. It was one of the first games to feature multiple levels. The colorful graphics, story, and cartoon characters all contributed to the game's success.

Answer: Auto Race

The console was about the size of a handheld calculator. A vertical LED display ran along the right side of the screen and the player controlled a car on the bottom of the display. The goal was to steer left or right to avoid crashing into oncoming cars. Mattel introduced another handheld game the following year. They named it "Football".

Answer: voice actors

"Final Fantasy X" was first developed in 1999 by Square Enix. It is a role-playing game set in a fantasy world called Spira. The storyline follows a group of adventurers as they try to defeat a monster known as Sin. Two of the main characters include Tidus, voiced by actor James Arnold Taylor, and Yuna, voiced by Hedy Burress.

Answer: Frogger

Although simple in comparison to games of today, this one was fun to play. Konami developed the game in 1981 and licensed it for distribution in North America by Sega-Gremlin. The idea was simple: using a joystick, you tried to safely move your frogs to the other side of a road filled with all kinds of fast-moving vehicles. Suffice it to say your frogs needed to make it across without getting obliterated.

Answer: Tomb Raider

"Tomb Raider" first appeared in 1996 and featured Lara Croft. As a fully fleshed-out character, Lara seems more like a real woman because she has a date and place of birth, likes and dislikes, and preferred weapons: Uzis and M-16 automatics.