A strange little side quest
Rhythm Hell belongs to a much longer story of play than a browser tab might suggest. 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. That is only half the story. Pong was field-tested in California bars in 1972 and helped launch the modern arcade-game era. That gives Rhythm Hell a little more company than it first appears to have.