Electronic game

In the past coin-operated arcade video games generally used custom per-game hardware often with multiple CPUs, highly specialized sound and graphics chips and/or boards, and the latest in computer graphics display technology.

[1] An early example of this was the light gun game Duck Hunt,[5] which Sega released in 1969;[6] it featured animated moving targets on a screen, printed out the player's score on a ticket, and had sound effects that were volume controllable.

[5] Since the introduction of electromechanics to the pinball machine in 1933's 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.

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 (e.g. remotely controlling a mechanical arm) with sufficient ability to earn a reward.

Slot machines include a currency detector that validates the coin or money inserted to play.

The visual output of these games can range from a few small light bulbs or LED lights to calculator-like 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.

This is opposed to video game consoles or arcade machines, which are not considered personal computers.

Practically this means that each action taken will require a line of paper and thus a hard-copy 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, text-based command line-driven language parsing Teletype games transitioned into visual interactive fiction allowing for greater depth of gameplay and reduced paper requirements.

Important consequences of this technology are: the possible substitution of the gamemaster or person who leads a game for an application or device, which can be more fair, with less room for bias, cheating or favouritism, and can be intelligently randomised; the possibility of using artificial intelligence and machine learning in games; greater randomisation of events; possibility of conducting fast and advanced mathematical calculations, making some complex games easier or available to a wider group of consumers; and enhanced player immersion with the aid of various stimuli like sound or animation.

[12] One may categorize hybrid games as follows: Electronics have been adapted for use in a wide range of applications.

Board games such as Dark Tower, for instance, rely heavily upon electronics.