Retro Video Games and Game Systems Photo Quiz

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. The world's first video game console, Odyssey, was introduced in the U.S. in 1972. Which company developed it?

Answer: Magnavox

At the time Odyssey was introduced, the concept of playing games on TV sets was new. Video games were virtually unheard of in Europe at that time. Magnavox made the first attempt to bring the gaming market to Europe in 1973 when it imported Odyssey to the United Kingdom and other European countries.

2. Which video game was the first to have a coin slot?

Answer: Computer Space

"Computer Space" was the brainchild of Bill Nutting who founded Nutting Associates in 1968. The company's first computer game, "Computer Quiz," bombed. Despite the name, this game didn't actually have a computer in it. One of Nuttall's employees, Nolan Bushnell, had the idea of making an arcade game from the mainframe game "Spacewar!" and renamed it "Computer Space." Its success came from being innovative in that it was electronic and not electromagnetic. Electronic games eventually replaced the electromagnetic ones.

3. "Pac-Man" was created as a game everyone could play. Most of the games in the '70s were war games or space invader games and only appealed to a certain audience. What was the original name of "Pac-Man"?

Answer: Puck-Man

"Pac-Man" was the invention of game designer Toru Iwatani. He chose the original name because paku paku is the Japanese slang word for the movement of a mouth opening and closing while eating which pretty much describes what "Pac-Man" does. Being Japanese, Iwatani couldn't have known what those who marketed the game in the United States did: the 'P' in Puck could easily be changed to the letter 'F'. Thus, "Puck-Man" became the less corruptible "Pac-Man".

4. The video game industry was forced to reinvent itself after it crashed in the early 1980s. In 1983 Atari came out with a new game that used technology ahead of its time. Do you remember the game that used a robot to move around a 3-D structure, turning the surface it passed over from blue to red? What was the name of this video game?

Answer: I, Robot

What made the game so advanced technology-wise was that it was the first raster-graphics arcade video game to use true 3-D graphics. The game also introduced the first camera controls that allowed the player to view the action from different angles. Unfortunately, the use of 3-D graphics was too far ahead of its time and only confused game players. "I, Robot" was a financial failure but it paved the way for future computer games of the 1990s.

5. Before the video game crash of the early 1980s, "Atari" introduced a video game that was part of a contest. Each game came with a comic book and piece of a puzzle that had to be solved in order to win the contest. Name this video game.

Answer: Swordquest

There were four games in all, based on the elements earth, fire, water, and air. They followed in that order and there was one winner in each category. Unfortunately, the company's financial troubles and the video game industry crash caused "Atari" major problems. The contest, although there were initial winners, was never completed.

6. "Nintendo" dominated the home video game console market in the mid-1980s. Prior to that, its first large-scale success came with an arcade game released in 1981 featuring a gorilla and lots of barrels. What was the name of this game?

Answer: Donkey Kong

"Donkey Kong" was the name of the gorilla. It was one of the first games to feature multiple levels. The colorful graphics, story, and cartoon characters all contributed to the game's success.

7. In 1976 the world's first hand-held electronic game was released by toy company giant Mattel. What did the company name their game?

Answer: Auto Race

The console was about the size of a handheld calculator. A vertical LED display ran along the right side of the screen and the player controlled a car on the bottom of the display. The goal was to steer left or right to avoid crashing into oncoming cars. Mattel introduced another handheld game the following year. They named it "Football".

8. "Final Fantasy X" was the first game of the Final Fantasy series to use what?

Answer: voice actors

"Final Fantasy X" was first developed in 1999 by Square Enix. It is a role-playing game set in a fantasy world called Spira. The storyline follows a group of adventurers as they try to defeat a monster known as Sin. Two of the main characters include Tidus, voiced by actor James Arnold Taylor, and Yuna, voiced by Hedy Burress.

9. Do you remember the old arcade game where a player had to navigate frogs safely across a busy road? What was it called?

Answer: Frogger

Although simple in comparison to games of today, this one was fun to play. Konami developed the game in 1981 and licensed it for distribution in North America by Sega-Gremlin. The idea was simple: using a joystick, you tried to safely move your frogs to the other side of a road filled with all kinds of fast-moving vehicles. Suffice it to say your frogs needed to make it across without getting obliterated.

10. One of the most recognizable action stars of 1990s video games is archaeologist Lara Croft. She was created by English designer Toby Gard. Lara is the star of which video game franchise?

Answer: Tomb Raider

"Tomb Raider" first appeared in 1996 and featured Lara Croft. As a fully fleshed-out character, Lara seems more like a real woman because she has a date and place of birth, likes and dislikes, and preferred weapons: Uzis and M-16 automatics.

Source: Author nmerr

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor kyleisalive before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

Retro Video Games and Game Systems Quiz

Let's take a virtual trip down memory lane and revisit some of those early games that kept kids amused for hours.

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>