Crash Course: Games

Discussing the history and science of games, including video games, board games, role-playing games, card games and even sports.

From the ancient Egyptian game of Senet to the Aztecs' Patolli, games have been played since the beginning of civilization; taking a look at a few of these games, including some that are actually still played today.

Discussing the history of video games, starting with the first re-programmable computers in the 1940s.

Discussing the rise of Atari, and with it, the rise of the video game industry; the first arcade machine, Galaxy Game, happened to have a coin slot, but this was just the beginning.

Atari wasn't the only major player in the 1970s; taking a step back to talk about Ralph Baer, who designed the first video game console: the Magnavox Odyssey.

The 1980s is the golden age of arcade games, with games like Donkey Kong, Pac-Man, Space Invaders and Centipede becoming a cultural phenomenon; these games expand the gamer demographic and even encourage the rise of competitive gaming.