playback

Playback is a guided tour through the history of computer and video games. From the earliest experiments on expensive lab equipment, through all the creative and commercial highs and lows, titles beloved or loathed, right up to the most recent developments and current consoles.

In contrast to most other videogame history projects, playback strives to be less of a retrospective on the history of videogames, and more of a journey through it. While games are presented within their historical and technological context, the focus is on the games themselves, and the people who played them. How and why did these games evolve, and what makes them entertaining and special? How did new developments fit into the bigger picture, and what impact did they have? What did it look or feel like for someone who was around to see it happen?

For this reason, I try my best to not only give you a narration of the world these games existed in, but show you, and let you go there. See how systems, developers, and games were promoted by viewing original print ads and watching TV spots. Explore the packaging in which they were sold, and see what was inside. As much as possible, I try to allow you to relive the wonder and excitement of when these products were the latest and greatest. While other retrospectives on classic videogames often take a condescending or sneering stance towards old games, I acknowledge their timeless qualities and the context they were created in, showing you how they can be just as enjoyable now as when they were first released, if you let them. Whether you have witnessed the rapid development of this new entertainment medium yourself, or whether you are a younger gamer who would like to know what it’s been like, I hope that these pages will be an interesting read.

Reading about videogames can only get you so far though—to really understand and acknowledge this kind of history lesson, you will have to play, or at least see, the actual games. That’s why I wanted playback to be more hands-on. For this reason, articles come with embedded video files as well as information on where and how you could find and play these games yourself, right here and now on your own computer. Be it faithful remakes, simulators, or emulators that try as much as possible to recreate the experience of playing old games the way they were supposed to be played, there is a huge community of hobbyists and developers that ensure the continued survival of classic games. Wherever possible, I will honour and refer to the efforts of these devoted oldschool gamers, and in doing so show you how to experience the games yourself—even if you might have missed out on them when they were originally released (or weren’t even born yet.)

Electronic games have come a long way since their inception. They went from hacker product to novelty toy, to addictive pastime for adolescents, to mainstream appeal and massive business, all over the course of less than three decades. Today, they increasingly have the potential to go beyond being pure games in the traditional sense of the word, becoming meaningful and valuable art, and a narrative form that surpasses even motion pictures in its abilities for storytelling and emotional impact. I hope that you will reach the same conclusion when reaching the later chapters of playback.

The menu to the top right of this page will allow you to navigate all the chapters and articles that have been published so far. The best way to dive into the site is to read articles in a chronological fashion, and become a virtual witness to the emergence and development of videogames. Chapters will be added in a roughly chronological fashion as well. In the near future, you may also opt to bring up a Table of Contents, which will list all the currently available pages. The game lists section (scheduled to return at a later date, as well) provides access to an exclusive games database, listing titles available for many of the covered home computer and videogame systems, including information about their themes, scenarios, and narrative contents.

I invite you to join me on the journey through the history of this young artform, and hope you enjoy your visit. Maybe, by looking back at these developments and what made classic games tick, you will also get a glimpse of the future, of what developments this still young new artform might yet come up with?

Daniel Saner
Editor ‘playback’

Start here: Part I — Prehistory

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