Stuff people play when they are bored with friend’s endless gossip, or the bar is full of hags and you’re not drunk enough to hit on them yet.

This semester I am exploring a controversial topic: Why do video games get shafted as a respected entertainment form? They have been around for over 35 years. When are people going to stop thinking of them as a children’s medium?

I began to think about where it all went wrong for video games. Where were they introduced to the public? No I’m not talking about some trade show, I’m talking about the seedy unlit establishment known as a bar or tavern.

In the ‘70s bars, taverns and night clubs were the place where the Hells Angels hung out, or where the disco freaks did coke and who knows what.

But video games fit in here. They were placed there to accompany the other arcade-style games like pinball and other bar games like darts and pool - stuff people play when they are bored with friend’s endless gossip, or the bar is full of hags and you’re not drunk enough to hit on them yet.

I hope everyone knows the first game to appear was “Pong.” Imagine playing ping pong in a bar. Pool and darts are dangerous enough with other people around, but how about hitting plastic balls throughout a place filled with drunken macho men who fly off the handle when making fun of the pink shirt, let alone bumping into them. There would be drunken fights aplenty.

Yeah you can play it at a house party or what not, but in a bar you have to be cautious as heck. Who’s good enough at ping pong to have the confidence to play in a bar with out fear of retribution?

That’s why ping pong was so good: none of the hassle with all of the fun.

The first “Pong” machine was so popular that the owners of the bar it was placed in thought it was broke after only 24 hours of being in the bar. Little did they know the game’s popularity was the cause of the malfunction.

The bar patrons had stuffed so many quarters into the machine they caused a short circuit. The game was quickly fixed because there was a long line of people eagerly awaiting the repair of the system.

Pong is a simple game and a great start to video gaming.

This was new and exciting; it was the beginning of video games. It was a very simple and humble beginning, but then again the film industry started in much the same way - with very short and humble works.

Maybe video games aren’t liked because the first commercial exposure to the public came from a bar. Not like these places are the best location to debut something but come on, we have learned from years of experience that alcohol makes everything more fun.

But I also think “Pong” is safer than most bar games. Have you ever been hit by a dart thrown by a drunkard? Well I have. So maybe video games needed to move to a more sober environment before they could be tested.

To be continued…

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