A strange little side quest
Talking SantaClaus may feel immediate, but the ideas around role-playing games have been evolving for a very long time. Early computer role-playing games helped turn rules, inventories, exploration and character progression into systems that could support long-form digital adventures. And then there is this: Pong was field-tested in California bars in 1972 and helped launch the modern arcade-game era. The screen is modern; the urge to test skill, pattern and timing definitely is not.
