The future of gaming, circa 1982

When you first picked up a controller — doesn’t matter if you started playing in 1982, 1992 or even 2002 — did you ever expect gaming to be in the place that it is today? Did you have pipe-dreams of multiplayer with over 20 players, hi-def monitors and full voice acting? Maybe not, but then, not all of us are as forward thinking as this guy.

This scanned page titled “Future Games” was culled from (we think) the Usborne Guide to Computer and Video Games, written by Ian Graham in 1982, by SA forums user Yodzilla. At first glance you might think “Hah, people were stupid in the 80s”, but you’d be wrong. Well, wrong in this case.

Take a closer look: everything from internet play, multiple players on single consoles/computers and even HD are represented in these predictions, and most of them are pretty accurate. While the means may have turned out a little differently (but God help me, I want that multiplayer gamedome mid-page to become a reality) we’ve still realized most of the ideas expressed as far back as the early eighties. In an industry as fast-paced as this one, that’s very impressive.

So, readers, what do you think games will be like in twenty-four years? What new innovations can you predict? Have at in the comments, where we’ll all be sure to make fun of you in the year 2029.