electronic game this article is about the game form for the magazine see electronic games an electronic game is a game that employs electronics to create an interactive system with which a player can play video game is the most common form today and for this reason the two terms are often mistakenly used synonymously other common forms of electronic game include such products as handheld electronic games standalone systems eg pinball slot machines or electromechanical arcade games and exclusively nonvisual products eg audio games teletype games textbased game the earliest form of computer game to achieve any degree of mainstream use was the textbased teletype game teletype games lack video display screens and instead present the game to the player by printing a series of characters on paper which the player reads as it emerges from the platen practically this means that each action taken will require a line of paper and thus a hardcopy record of the game remains after it has been played this naturally tends to reduce the size of the gaming universe or alternatively to require a great amount of paper as computer screens became standard during the rise of the third generation computer textbased command linedriven language parsing teletype games transitioned into visual interactive fiction allowing for greater depth of gameplay and reduced paper requirements this transition was accompanied by a simultaneous shift from the mainframe environment to the personal computer examples of textbased teletype games include the oregon trail 1971 the earliest versions trek73 1973 dungeon 1975 super star trek 1975 adventure 1976 the earliest versions zork 1977 the earliest versions electronic handhelds handheld electronic game the earliest form of dedicated console handheld electronic games are characterized by their size and portability used to play interactive games handheld electronic games are often miniaturized versions of video games the controls display and speakers are all part of a single unit and rather than a generalpurpose screen made up of a grid of small pixels they usually have custom displays designed to play one game this simplicity means they can be made as small as a digital watch which they sometimes are the visual output of these games can range from a few small light bulbs or led lights to calculatorlike alphanumerical screens later these were mostly displaced by liquid crystal and vacuum fluorescent display screens with detailed images and in the case of vfd games color handhelds were at their most popular from the late 1970s into the early 1990s they are both the precursors to and inexpensive alternatives to the handheld game console examples of handheld electronic games include mattel auto race 1976 simon 1978 merlin 1978 game watch 1979 mb omni 1980 bandai lcd solarpower 1982 entex adventure vision 1982 lights out 1995 pinball machines and similar devices pinball solidstate era since the introduction of electromechanics to the pinball machine in 1933s contact pinball has become increasingly dependent on electronics as a means to keep score on the backglass and to provide quick impulses on the playfield as with bumpers and flippers for exciting gameplay unlike games with electronic visual displays pinball has retained a physical display that is viewed on a table through glass similar forms of game such as pachinko have also become increasingly dependent on electronics in modern times examples of pinball games include the addams family 1991 indiana jones the pinball adventure 1993 star trek the next generation 1993 list of pinball machines redemption games and merchandisers redemption game redemption games such as skee ball have been around since the days of the carnival game well earlier than the development of the electronic game however with modern advances many of these games have been reworked to employ electronic scoring and other game mechanics the use of electronic scoring mechanisms has allowed carnival or arcade attendants to take a more passive role simply exchanging prizes for electronically dispensed coupons and occasionally emptying out the coin boxes or banknote acceptors of the more popular games merchandisers such as the claw crane are more recent electronic games in which the player must accomplish a seemingly simple task eg remotely controlling a mechanical arm with sufficient ability to earn a reward examples of redemption games include whacamole 1976 skee ball modern electric versions examples of merchandisers include claw crane 1980 slot machines slot machine the slot machine is a casino gambling machine with three or more reels which spin when a button is pushed though slot machines were originally operated mechanically by a lever on the side of the machine the one arm instead of an electronic button on the front panel as used on todays models many modern machines still have a legacy lever in addition to the button on the front slot machines include a currency detector that validates the coin or money inserted to play the machine pays off based on patterns of symbols visible on the front of the machine when it stops modern computer technology has resulted in many variations on the slot machine concept audio games audio game an audio game is a game played on an electronic device such asbut not limited toa personal computer it is similar to a video game save that the only feedback device is audible rather than visual audio games originally started out as blind accessiblegames but recent interest in audio games has come from sound artists game accessibility researchers mobile game developers and mainstream video gamers most audio games run on a computer platform although there are a few audio games for handhelds and video game consoles audio games feature the same variety of genres as video games such as adventure games racing games etc examples of audio games include real sound kaze no regret 1997 chillingham 2004 bbbeat 2005 video games video game a video game is a game that involves interaction with a user interface to generate visual feedback on a video device the word video in video game traditionally referred to a raster display device however with the popular use of the term video game it now implies any type of display device arcade games arcade game see also golden age of arcade video games electronic video arcade games make extensive use of solid state electronics and integrated circuits in the past coinoperated arcade video games generally used custom pergame hardware often with multiple cpus highly specialized sound and graphics chips andor boards and the latest in computer graphics display technology recent arcade game hardware is often based on modified video game console hardware or high end pc components arcade games may feature specialized ambiance or control accessories including fully enclosed dynamic cabinets with force feedback controls dedicated lightguns rearprojection displays reproductions of car or plane cockpits and even motorcycle or horseshaped controllers or even highly dedicated controllers such as dancing mats and fishing rods these accessories are usually what set modern arcade games apart from pc or console games and they provide an experience that some gamers consider more immersing and realistic examples of arcade games include galaxy game 1971 pong 1972 space invaders 1978 galaxian 1979 pacman 1980 battlezone 1980 donkey kong 1981 street fighter ii 1991 mortal kombat 1992 fatal fury 1992 killer instinct 1994 king of fighters 19942005 time crisis 1995 dance dance revolution 1998 drummania 1999 house of the dead 1998 computer video games pc game a personal computer video game also known as a computer game or simply pc game is a video game played on a personal computer rather than on a video game console or arcade machine the vast majority of computer games today are video games and since the earliest days of the medium visual displays such as the cathode ray tube have been used to relay game information console games console game see also video game console a console game is a form of interactive multimedia used for entertainment the game consists of manipulable images and usually sounds generated by a video game console and displayed on a television or similar audiovideo system the game itself is usually controlled and manipulated using a handheld device connected to the console called a controller the controller generally contains a number of buttons and directional controls such as analog joysticks each of which has been assigned a purpose for interacting with and controlling the images on the screen the display speakers console and controls of a console can also be incorporated into one small object known as a handheld game console console games are most frequently differentiated between by their compatibility with consoles belonging in the following categories traditional console also called home console a multigame system that uses the screen of a television to produce graphics handheld game console a multigame system the screen and controls of which are compacted into a single handheld device dedicated console a typically single game system of either the plug and play variety or the lcd game educational console a multigame console supporting primarily educational games these consoles are often simplified for use by children within these categories the systems are differentiated between by their manufacturer and generation corresponding to the year of their release console games are also often differentiated by game genre hybrid or combined games game hybridization refers to the integration of an interactive electronic component into a game a hybrid or combined game is any tabletop game where an electronic device andor application is an element crucial to the gameplay one may categorize hybrid games as follows purposebuilt devices where the game uses a device that has certain functions like an electronic dice or spinner to play out the game an example would be monopoly electronic banking 2007 by hasbro where all players have an electronic card which carries virtual monopoly currency and use a machine to increase and deduct their earnings beacon technology games are mobile digital games that employ ble bluetooth low energy beacons to track and control players movements and actions an example artifact technologies created a mobile digital board game called battlekasters where players physically walk around to cast spells or unlock cards augmented reality board games that interact with a mobile device and immerse the player in the virtual environment through animation sound andor vibrations example roar by trefl which utilises sound as part of the gameplay other electronics have been adapted for use in a wide range of applications board games such as dark tower for instance rely heavily upon electronics nontraditional electronic games such as rubiks revolution or electronic toys which blur the boundaries between games and toys such as the electronic magic 8 ball date ball are often considered electronic games as well electromechanical games arcade game electromechanical games these were types of arcade games similar to arcade video games but relying on electromechanical components to produce sounds or images rather than a cathode ray tube screen these were popular during the 1960s and 1970s but video games eventually overtook them in popularity during the golden age of video arcade games that began in 1978 a popular early example was segas periscope in 1966 nonhuman games with the development of technology geared toward electronic entertainment of animals typically pets video games for pets have also been created since the majority of animals lack opposable thumbs the fine motor skills required for use in most gaming is unavailable to these animals furthermore the visual perception of many animals is influenced by a different visible spectrum than humans test mode and hidden features to ensure that an electronic game is working correctly the programmer adds a hidden mode in the game the job of the hidden mode is to make sure that everything is functioning correctly and all the sound files exist some electronic games do not play all the sound files in their hidden test modes sometimes they would loop the same sound a few times some electronic games require inserting a hidden try me tab to access the sound testing mode and pressing a combination of buttons 