Hacker News Viewer

The First Video Game Was Just a Box in the Corner of a Bar

by PaulHoule on 3/26/2026, 9:22:32 PM

https://lithub.com/the-very-first-video-game-was-just-a-box-in-the-corner-of-a-bar/

Comments

by: shever73

For some irrational reason this article annoyed me. It came across arrogant with an attempt at being high-brow, and included too much fluff. Describing the founders as "foundering figures" was amusing - I don't know if the image of taking on water and sinking was the author's intent, but I think I've just become guilty of the same thing I've accused the article of.

3/30/2026, 11:36:13 AM


by: voidUpdate

&gt; &quot;A revolution was televised in 1972&quot;<p>Well Tennis for Two was created in 1958 so &quot;the first video game&quot; seems like a stretch <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;Tennis_for_Two" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;Tennis_for_Two</a>

3/30/2026, 9:56:50 AM


by: teddyh

Ahoy did a <i>comprehensive</i> video about it: &lt;<a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.youtube.com&#x2F;watch?v=uHQ4WCU1WQc" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.youtube.com&#x2F;watch?v=uHQ4WCU1WQc</a>&gt;, and a video is a more appropriate medium for discussing and demonstrating video games.

3/30/2026, 2:19:51 PM


by: perfobotto

So difficult to read ..

3/30/2026, 2:18:38 PM


by: empressplay

&gt; Bushnell based the game&#x27;s concept on an electronic ping-pong game included on the Magnavox Odyssey, the first home video game console; in response, Magnavox later sued Atari for patent infringement.<p>Yeah, not first video game.

3/30/2026, 3:02:58 PM


by: anthk

<a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;List_of_text-based_computer_games" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;List_of_text-based_computer_ga...</a><p>Star Trek itself, which I own several ports, it&#x27;s from 1971.<p><a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;Star_Trek_(1971_video_game)" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;Star_Trek_(1971_video_game)</a><p>First computer games predate commercial releases of Pong.<p>Most of the console isolated journalists have no idea of 60 and 70&#x27;s computers at all.

3/30/2026, 12:35:16 PM


by: egiboy

Brings up a ‘Do you want to download “sync” on “lithub.com” and “dsp-service.admatic.de”?’ dialog on my iPad.<p>Hard pass.

3/30/2026, 1:36:29 PM


by:

3/30/2026, 9:58:22 AM


by: riverforest

[flagged]

3/30/2026, 2:36:43 PM