Philadelphia area collector, Set Momjian, exhibited selections from his rare and antique coin-operated gaming machine collection. They served as historical evidence of the long-standing relationship between play and learning. The electric light, the typewriter, moving pictures, and even the horseless carriage had just been invented. For many people, coin-operated mechanical games of chance found in arcades, cigar stores, saloons, and amusement parks were their first introduction to this new mechanized world, just as, a century later, arcade video games paved the way for the digital revolution. Both at the arcade and in the home, video games changed television from a passive entertainment medium into an interactive one.
Computers accept input from players and process the results.
Over the years, specific genres developed. Action games were the original. They emphasized fast paced movement, dodging, retaliating, and stamina. Shooter games were typically set in space with the primary goal being to blast anything that moves. Adventure games required intense thinking set inside an unknown environment.