Video Game History
Where did video games first begin?
In research laboratories.
What does “phenomenon” mean as used in the reading?
Something big, popular, and widely recognized.
What is the first step in making a video game—coming up with characters, code, or sound?
Characters/story ideas.
What came first: arcade games or home consoles?
Arcade games.
Why do you think video games became more popular once they moved out of labs?
More people could play them in arcades.
What early game from the 1960s became the first one played on multiple computers?
Spacewar!
What does “breakthrough” mean in the sentence about Spacewar!?
A major discovery or advancement.
What does a programmer do in video game creation?
Writes the code that makes the game work.
Put these in order: Spacewar!, Pong, Pac-Man.
Spacewar! → Pong → Pac-Man.
Why do you think Pong was such a big deal, even though it was simple?
It was one of the first home games people could easily play.
Why was Atari’s Pong important in the 1970s?
It helped spark interest in home gaming systems.
What are “consoles”?
Home gaming systems like PlayStation, Xbox, or Nintendo.
Why do video game creators test their games?
To find mistakes or glitches and fix them.
Give a 1-sentence summary of the 1950s–1970s section of the reading.
Example: Video games moved from simple lab experiments to popular arcade and home games.
Why do you think technology helped video games grow quickly in the 1980s–1990s?
Better graphics, computers, and systems made games more fun and accessible.
Name one iconic game from the 1980s or 1990s mentioned in the article.
Examples: Super Mario Bros., Pac-Man, Donkey Kong, Sonic the Hedgehog.
What does “innovations” mean in the final paragraph?
New ideas or technologies that improve something.
What is one job (other than programmer) shown in the video that helps make a game?
Artist, animator, sound designer, tester.
Summarize the whole article in 2 sentences.
Student-generated but must include past (simple lab games) and present (advanced global gaming).
Based on the video, why do you think game designers need to work as a team?
The work requires different specialized skills.
How did video games change from the 1950s to today?
They moved from simple lab games to advanced games on consoles, computers, and phones.
Use “widespread” in a sentence related to video games.
Student-created answer; must show it means common/used by many people.
Explain how one part of the process in the video relates to something you use in school (writing, math, art, problem-solving).
Student choice; must explain connection.
Explain how video game creation (from the video) is a sequence with clear steps.
Student must describe at least 3 steps in order.
Predict what video games might look like in 20 years based on the article’s last paragraph.
Student reasoning; should mention continued innovation or new technology.