A strange little side quest
Before the next round of Santa Claus Weightlifter, here is a piece of the bigger picture. Sonic the Hedgehog launched in 1991 and turned speed itself into a defining platform-game mechanic. The broader history adds one more wrinkle. In 1958, Tennis for Two used an analog computer and an oscilloscope to turn simple physics into a playable tennis-like demonstration. The screen is modern; the urge to test skill, pattern and timing definitely is not.