Video Games

What was the name of the first handheld electronic game?

Photo by Nik / Unsplash

Did you own all the Game Boys? Did you cough it up for the PSP (I did – oops)? What about mobile games? Addicted to any?

Being able to play video games without being tethered to a TV is pretty damn cool and if you begged your parents to get one of those crappy handheld games from Walmart all those decades ago, then you know just how far things have come.

If you’ve been playing Tears of the Kingdom on your Switch, it’s time for a quick history lesson about the humble beginnings of handheld gaming.

What was the first handheld electronic game called?

Read next

How did George Miller raise the money to make the original Mad Max in 1979?

How did George Miller raise the money to make the original Mad Max in 1979?

If there’s ever an apocalyptic event, and I’m around for it, AND I survive it, you can bet on one thing: I’ll immediately start wearing a leather vest with spikes on it and find a late ‘70s muscle car to drive around. 1979’s Mad Max, which...

Who was the drummer for the Beatles before Ringo Starr?

Who was the drummer for the Beatles before Ringo Starr?

Who could forget the four members of the Beatles? You have John, George, and the two other guys. Aside from Jerry, George, Elaine, and Kramer, they’re probably the most iconic four-person group in history. Even decades after John and George passed away we got a “new” song from the...

What is the only planet in our solar system that rotates clockwise?

What is the only planet in our solar system that rotates clockwise?

We need to talk about some problematic planets in our solar system. We all agreed to rotate counterclockwise around the sun 4 billion years ago, but SOME of us just had to be contrarian. Despite what Superman may have taught us, rotating a planet in the opposite direction does not,...

What were the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles renamed in the UK?

What were the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles renamed in the UK?

While brilliant, I have to say that the name Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is about as lazy as it can get. I can imagine the creators sitting there thinking, “What should we call this comic/cartoon about a bunch of teenage mutant ninja turtles? Wait a second…” On the other...

Which classic fairy tale was NOT written by the Brothers Grimm?

Which classic fairy tale was NOT written by the Brothers Grimm?

If you haven’t read any of the Brothers Grimm's original fairy tales, you’re in for a bad time. Kids must have been built different back then because these aren’t whimsical tales about friendship and love, but straight-up horror. We’re talking brutal body-horror levels of...

What were New Kids on the Block originally named?

What were New Kids on the Block originally named?

Say what you will about boy bands put together by some greedy producer — they seem to work. Just ask New Kids on the Block (aka NKOTB as any Blockhead knows) who have sold more than 80 million records worldwide. Peaking in popularity in the late '80s and early '...

Who was the original author of the James Bond books?

Who was the original author of the James Bond books?

We’ve had way more James Bond writers than actors at this point, and the franchise itself is owned by the Broccoli family (no, I’m not making that up), but the callsign of 007 will never change. You have to come up with a truly cool character for audiences...

What was the time machine originally supposed to be in Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure?

What was the time machine originally supposed to be in Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure?

Put “Be excellent to each other” on my gravestone. Tattoo it on my chest. Etch it into every tree you see. It’s hard to imagine pitching an idea for a movie much wackier than Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure, in which two wannabe rockstar teenagers — William "Bill&...