Chris Crawford on Game Design

Computer Games

In the earliest days, computer games were easily distinguished from videogames; videogames played on consoles didn't have much computer power and tended to appeal to younger kids, while computer games were played on more expensive personal computers and so tended to appeal to older boys. With the passage of time, the distinctions have shifted and blurred somewhat. Videogames are still played on televisions and so lack the graphic resolution of the much bigger computer monitors. Videogames remain the province of younger players, but we are seeing greater overlap between videogames and computer games.

Star Raiders

This game single-handedly launched the Atari personal computers. It was the first 3D space combat game, and it blew everybody's ...