My first video game, and this was a long time ago, was this small standalone console that only played three or four versions of Pong. Very simple controls, only a rotary knob to move your paddle. You could play normal Pong, a hockey version where the there is only a goal at each end, a handball version, and a solo version. You could make the paddles big or small and the speed slow or fast, all set with switches. Hooked up to a tv with a converter box.

My next video game console was an Atari 2600. When you think about it, it's a very simple game machine with primitive graphics and minimal memory. But there were some really cool games for it and the games got better and better on the same hardware. One reason was that the games were all on ROM cartridges, so if the carts got better (mostly in memory size) then the game could have better graphics and more involved gameplay, storyline, universe.

My friend Dennis had an Oddyssey 2000, and that machine sucked. Mike had a Bally which was kind of cool. It was programmable, had these controllers that acted as both joysticks and paddles. Games on tapes, I think. I used to play the football game at the local Sears and you could call up some number of plays on both offense and defense. Never took off though.

Dennis got a Vic 20 which was a much nicer machine. You could load games from tape, or play them off of cartridges. It had like 8K of RAM, expandable to 20K. Standard Atari controllers, which was a good move on Commodore's part. Probably influenced me when I got my Commodore 64. My parents spent a lot of money on that setup. After the computer, I had to get a monitor since displaying to the television left a lot to be desired. Then they had to get me a disk drive so I could store programs. Then all the software, which I copied or stole in one way or another.

A guy on one of the mailing lists complained that the OCS wargames are a pain because the designers suggest you don't look at the board when the other player is moving, in order to maintain some sort of secrecy and limited intelligence. Other people chimed in that it was a waste of time to leave the room while the other guy moves.

But back then, with the second generation microcomputers, that was the only way to play. There was no network play. Games that had limited intelligence, like Reach for the Stars or Empire, you took turns moving and the other guy looked away. It was not a problem back then. You could play another game or read a book. In college we played Empire all the time, three players. We'd sit on the bed facing the computer, after a player goes, they can lay back and read one of the mass of Calvin and Hobbs compilations.

Games where you play all at once were more arcade-type games. Exceptions being something like MULE, which is an economic game. You start off with everyone trying to claim some land, you have a certain amount of funds so you have to decide what kind of land to get, but don't take too long or someone else will claim it. Then you have to buy equipment and mine various minerals. Take it to a market to sell to the bank or to another player. That's also real-time. You set your price and the other players set their buying price and you can all move your prices up and down until the time runs out. So do you want to sell something at a lower price or risk not selling it all all, do you buy something at a higher price or go without? Fun game, simple, no 3-d graphics or sorround sound. Substance over form.