Oh, man, where it all began! I suppose
my first video game was either Tank Combat (inside the
multi-game cart, Combat) or Outlaw on the Atari 2600. My father and I used to play Combat for hours together. The
fun of the multiple maps and the silly sounds the tanks made when
they exploded brought joy to my face. My father, smartly, used both
games to show me how Math could be used to make shots. The concepts
of angles and ricochets were well beyond my little 5 year-old mind,
but I'll be damned if it didn't spark something somewhere in my
brain. I started to “see” the shots before taking them. Both
games required timing and forethought to win, and my father helped me
to understand that patience can be as rewarding as “guns blazing.”
The awesome Tank Combat!
My skills with the paddle/joystick and
the understanding of simple angles improved swiftly. This also
translated well to my love of Billiards, which my father also taught
me. Sadly, I'm still rubbish at it, but I enjoy playing on occasion. Having a “real-world” application of gaming is something
that has stuck with me to this day.
Outlaw provided hours of enjoyment, too!
All of the studies showing improved
hand-eye coordination in relation to games played is something I
embody. I improved my skills by playing Tank Wars and
Outlaw and both gave me a love for video games that hasn't
left, and hopefully never will.
Oh my gosh, your first game was Custer's Revenge! Oh the humanity!... Oh wait, no, that's Outlaw... My bad... :-)
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