People: Here’s entertainment!

XIII.1 January + February 2006
Page: 46
Digital Citation

Are we having fun yet?


Authors:
Dennis Wixon

This new column focuses on using computing power for entertainment. Interestingly, using computers and "computer-like" devices for entertainment is positively ancient. It can be traced back to 1931 when D. Gottlieb created a game called "baffle ball" in which players used a plunger to propel small metallic balls up an inclined surface, where they would drop into pockets. Each pocket had an associated score. This game was entirely mechanical and was an important precursor to pinball. The first electronic pinball game, "Contact," soon followed, invented in 1933 by Harry Williams. Moving beyond its roots in pinball, in 1958 Willy…




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