Forgotten Electronic Games

[MadMonk]

I found an article on Wired.com that perfectly fits this section.

How many of these toys did you have? What else would you include in the list?
I remember having some of these, but some I've never heard of. Some of them my kids still play with (Operation and Light Bright).

Sure, all these immersive 3-D worlds and photorealistic graphics in videogames today are mind-blowing, but it wasn't long ago that all we needed was some beeps and flashing lights to be entertained for hours.
We want to see the electronic games that stole your imagination without the aid of a gaming console or a computer. You might not want to go back and play them again, but they deserve a hero's sendoff into the sunset.

Show Us Your Favorite Forgotten Electronic Game
Life Before the Console Age: Forgotten Electronic Games

[Pete]

I didn't have many on the lists you linked, but immediately thought of this very rudimentary football game that captivated me for hours on end in the early 80's:

[MadMonk]

That was at the top of my list too. Nearly everyone I knew had one of those things and we all brought them to school.

A little bit of trivia on those:

A little game history: This was released in June of 1977 as the second game released by Mattel (Auto Race was the first) and sold through Sears. After less than 100,000 were made, Sears (using a computer model based on initial sales figures) determined that the games would not be big sellers, and most of the production for Football and Auto Race was stopped. Within 6 months, it became obvious to Sears that their prediction was wrong, and production was started up again and reached previously unknown levels! (Reaching as many as 500,000 units a week by mid-February, 1978).

[grantgeneral78]

THE FIRST ELECTRONIC GAME i EVER HAD WAS A ATARI .....pong for hours or tanks, or spaceship shooter, about the same time mtv came out. When I was a kid the only electronic games there was....electric footbal, erector set,ummm ...guess that was it.

[rod4soonrs]

these were my favorite hand held games, the football, and basketball versions are available for iphone.

[Generals64]

Man, I'm really feeling old right now. My definition of an electronic game is a Pinball Machine at the local bowling alley.....Lots of noise, bells and whistles...I don't even know what you guys are showing....

[Prunepicker]

I've never had a video game but I did have some kind of hand held Space
Invader type thing. It may have been made in the late 70's.

[Prunepicker]

I visited the web site Mad Monk listed.

I totally forgot about Simon. I still play it!
Prunerdude (grandson) and I play Bop It. We got it a couple of years ago at
a garage sale. Too much fun.

Does anybody remember...
Time Bomb
Hot Potato

[grantgeneral78]

I visited the web site Mad Monk listed.

I totally forgot about Simon. I still play it!
Prunerdude (grandson) and I play Bop It. We got it a couple of years ago at
a garage sale. Too much fun.

Does anybody remember...
Time Bomb
Hot Potato

I fogor all about hot potato, kids today really need to be taught these old games to pass them down to future generations, or they will be lost forever...or heck even yard darts=fun for the whole family and pets!

[rod4soonrs]

Man, I'm really feeling old right now. My definition of an electronic game is a Pinball Machine at the local bowling alley.....Lots of noise, bells and whistles...I don't even know what you guys are showing....

I had these in the late 70's

[DaveSkater]

Football and football2 were huge hits, especially at school.
We had the original coleco Pong game.
Backgammon and chess (on cassette) on the TRS40 Radioshack computer
Commodore 64 had a couple of swell games too.

We played Simon, and Litebright, and....wait for it:



Dark Tower!

[OKCMallen]

My gosh, I loved that football game.

Also, I had a handful of these from this Tiger line of games...



Altered Beast was my favorite.

[MadMonk]

Altered Beast was my favorite.

Ah yes, I remember playing that game in the arcade.
"Power Up!"

This should bring back some memories:

[BradR]

I had this when i was younger and loved playing it...maybe that's why I'm a WoW addict now

[striipidy]

I dunno if these count, but my parents still had their Pong from back when.
I remember having a ton of Atari games, but Intellivision was always played more. That "Shark! Shark!" game is one I would love to play again.
But that damn console would get hot and have to be reset all the time. Grrrr

[mark]

i had the d&d labyrinth game, football, baseball, basketball, capsela, and a bunch of the game & watch games.

i remember the big trak. never had it but got to play with it at someone's house. that one was cool!

[grantgeneral78]

What was the electronic swami game where his head would spin...it is driving me insane!

[Tall Girl]

Man, I'm really feeling old right now. My definition of an electronic game is a Pinball Machine at the local bowling alley.....Lots of noise, bells and whistles...I don't even know what you guys are showing....

I was proud to have roller skates with the key. When I was in high school, my daddy finally came up with a transistor radio. Me and my sisters never even had a bicycle.

The first electronic game my girls had was Simon and we still have it and the box, and it works. I was amazed by it at the time. Now my 1 year old granddaughter has toys that are electronic. What's this world coming to?

[papaOU]

I have always became bored with electronic games very quickly!

[Prunepicker]

The first electronic game my girls had was Simon and we still have it and
the box, and it works. I was amazed by it at the time. Now my 1 year old
granddaughter has toys that are electronic. What's this world coming
to?

Simon is so cool! There's a new one call Bop Box or something that's very
similar. Grandson and I play it.

Electronics are good, to some point. My daughters daughter has never
seen a TV program and she's going to be 3 soon. Only recently has she
been allowed to look at a computer screen. As far as I know, she has no
electronic toys other than something that plays music.

I believe kids need blocks and card board boxes so they can use their
imagination.

[kevinpate]

I believe kids need blocks and card board boxes so they can use their imagination.

This.

If you've never just sat off to the side and watched a child who has just discovered block stacking, you've missed out. Even better is the day the child looks at a stack, looks at you, and wanders over with a block, inviting you to come and play too.

May you never be too busy to say yes.

Cardboard boxes? Like crack for the imagination.

[Tall Girl]

This.

If you've never just sat off to the side and watched a child who has just discovered block stacking, you've missed out. Even better is the day the child looks at a stack, looks at you, and wanders over with a block, inviting you to come and play too.

May you never be too busy to say yes.

Cardboard boxes? Like crack for the imagination.

And drag out the blankets and the kitchen chairs and make tunnels and caves. My 10 year old grandson plays domino's & checkers and cards with me. We make cookies almost every time he is at my house.

[Generals64]

And drag out the blankets and the kitchen chairs and make tunnels and caves. My 10 year old grandson plays domino's & checkers and cards with me. We make cookies almost every time he is at my house.

================================================== ==============
Hey, I know I'm older than you but, if you'll make cookies Prunepicker, PapaOU, Myself, Carltonskeeper, Friskey, Rickster, a whole bunch of us wil come over and play cards....and dominoes.....

[skyrick]

Man, I'm really feeling old right now. My definition of an electronic game is a Pinball Machine at the local bowling alley.....Lots of noise, bells and whistles...I don't even know what you guys are showing....

Pinball was the only electronic game I knew of, until Pong came out when I was 25. Even then the only place I ever saw it was in bars......OK, strip clubs.

Rick

[skyrick]

Electronics are good, to some point. My daughters daughter has never
seen a TV program and she's going to be 3 soon. Only recently has she
been allowed to look at a computer screen. As far as I know, she has no
electronic toys other than something that plays music.

I believe kids need blocks and card board boxes so they can use their
imagination.

Good for you Prune! My granddaughter is almost 4 months old and I never have the TV on when she is in our house. I try to hint to my daughter that Savannah shouldn't be exposed to video too early, but I don't want to become a nagging parent, telling her how to raise her child. 3 years is what I've heard developmental psychologists recommend too. Kudos to your daughter for following through on his.

Rick