The beginning and later widespread use of the early micros and home computers were strongly related to the emergency of the first computer games. However, such an essential episode for the history of computing has traditionally focused on identifying novelty and significance, focusing on the recollection of the emergence of games and technologic devices to play with, as well as on important firsts, notable designers, and successful corporate innovators. These accomplishments are usually mapped on to an imagined evolutionary timeline that identify key moments in the past largely in terms of their relationship to contemporary developments. By limiting our study of the history of computing and videogames to only those events and agents most visible or apparently relevant to the present, we neglect the valuable contributions of other very different actors, such as politicians, programmers, designers, distributors, hobbyists, gamers and fan communities. In fact, by giving voice to these myriad other subjects –including also their everyday practices– we reveal a diverse set of activities and roles that collectively contribute to the shaping of computing technology, gaming practices and even the gaming industry in their respective local contexts.
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