A strange little side quest
Zoom out from Block & Ball for a moment and the timeline gets surprisingly deep. The first crossword puzzle book appeared in 1924 in a cautious initial printing of 3,600 copies, complete with a free pencil. A second detail makes the picture even better: Computer Space reached arcades in 1971 and became one of the earliest commercial electronic arcade games, even though its controls proved demanding for many players. The details change, but the appeal of learning a system and trying again is remarkably persistent.
