Oldest games to do <a thing>

[Twed]

The politics in video games thread immediately made me think "what was the first game to have a political message?". I don't know the answer. But this does extend to other firsts. One I often think about is

What was the first game with in-game product advertisements? Sometimes I think it might be 1985's N.O.M.A.D. with its Coca Cola adverts, but I think those might have been unauthorized and just used to give an impression of an alien ship that has commerce. After that it gets into James Pond/Chupa Chups/Penguins territory.

What other firsts are there? Ideally external, social things like politics and advertising, although it can be things from the world of gaming too. Unanswered questions are the best, please post if you don't know what the first instance was.

[Twed]

This reminds me of the excellent Video Game Soda Machine Project, as an aside.

[the]

This article runs through some gaming firsts.

[Sin Agog]

Was just thinking about this very idea for a thread after replaying Chrono Trigger for the first time in aeons.  I think Zelda 2 was the first game to have a New Game+, but Chrono Trigger was probably the first to do that New Game With Fully Powered Characters thing to speed-up the replaying process before you get to the variations.

[Kryton]

Apparently the first game with adverts was:

1978, video game Adventureland included its first product placement, advertising its follow up game, Pirate Adventure

[Zetetic]

The politics in video games thread immediately made me think "what was the first game to have a political message?".

Balance of Power (1985) is probably one of the more famous early games with an overt message (i.e. nuclear war is a failure state).

I guess a lot of the wargames from the preceding decade are sort-of-but-not-really eligible. And maybe some of the less war-y simulationist games.

[Zetetic]

Dictator (1981) looks sort of interesting, both on its own and to compare with Hidden Agenda (1988).

[The Boston Crab]

First reggae game: ASWAD Attak (1982)

[Twed]

Balance of Power (1985) is probably one of the more famous early games with an overt message (i.e. nuclear war is a failure state).

Cool. I am definitely more interested in games that have an opinion, rather than ones that just have a political setting.

[Twed]

First reggae game: ASWAD Attak (1982)

This does raise an actual one: what was the first "band" game? The Thompson Twins Adventure? I'm actually interested in thinking about what the last band game was, since it's a thing that doesn't quite fit into the modern world.

[Twed]

Apparently the first game with adverts was:

I wonder what the first external product placement is though. Zool/James Pond etc. and their overt advertisements were definitely a step into a new world. Pushover took things really far with its Quavers sponsorship.

[Zetetic]

Cool. I am definitely more interested in games that have an opinion, rather than ones that just have a political setting.

Hidden Agenda is probably more worth playing than Balance of Power, both from that perspective and mechanically.

[Sebastian Cobb]

Was DOTT the first game to have the full and playable version of its predecessor hidden as an easter egg?

[Twed]

Oh yeah, first full game inside of a game is a good one. I don't even know the answer. I think one of the console Out Runs had original Out Run in it, but there has to be an earlier one.

[bgmnts]

I am definitely more interested in games that have an opinion, rather than ones that just have a political setting.

Eh, it's usually shit like "mental health is important". Games that are vague and can have political meanings interpreted is fine but if a game is outwardly trying to make a statement its usually crap and boring and unneeded. Better off getting that from more intelligent mediums.

[Kryton]

I wonder what the first external product placement is though. Zool/James Pond etc. and their overt advertisements were definitely a step into a new world. Pushover took things really far with its Quavers sponsorship.

I think you're correct in you OP with that one.

[Twed]

Eh, it's usually shit like "mental health is important". Games that are vague and can have political meanings interpreted is fine but if a game is outwardly trying to make a statement its usually crap and boring and unneeded. Better off getting that from more intelligent mediums.

Yeah but this is about old things that already exist, not really the future/current state of indie gaming.

[Zetetic]

That's not a recognisable description of current indie gaming, really, either.

(Other than in the sense that you can recognise it as regurgitated from the comments of fuckwits.)

[bgmnts]

Yeah but this is about old things that already exist, not really the future/current state of indie gaming.

I think the further back you go, the less interesting or complicated it gets. Fallout maybe?

[bgmnts]

That's not a recognisable description of current indie gaming, really, either.

Other than in the sense that you can recognise it as regurgitated from the comments of fuckwits.

Well I don't want to be regarded as a fuckwit so I withdraw my comment and I think indie gaming is a fountain of interesting political and ideological ideas.

[Zetetic]

Fallout is from 1997. (This is later than the mid-1980s, for reference.)

[Twed]

I think the further back you go, the less interesting or complicated it gets.

Not really, the roots of expression in gaming is interesting in itself, even if the product is less sophisticated.

[bgmnts]

Fallout is from 1997. (This is later than the mid-1980s, for reference.)

I was just thinking about a game that was discussing an idea.

[Zetetic]

I wonder whether the seemingly 1000s of submarine simulators from the 80s count as having a subtle political message (i.e. attacking civilians is basically fine).

[Twed]

First censored game? Elite removed slave trading in the US markets, I think.

[Cold Meat Platter]

Pole Position in the arcade had roadside Marlboro (amongst other) adverts.

[madhair60]

Custers Revenge first rape

[Mister Six]

This does raise an actual one: what was the first "band" game? The Thompson Twins Adventure? I'm actually interested in thinking about what the last band game was, since it's a thing that doesn't quite fit into the modern world.

That was preceded by one year by the Shakin' Stevens game, although as the latter came as a bonus on an album (or single, or both - unclear) it might not count.

As for last game, would that include those shit interactive CD-ROM things from the mis-90s? The Stones had one, IIRC, and maybe Aerosmith or Metallica or someone else with lots of hair.

[SavageHedgehog]

The Black Eyed Peas Experience for the Wii in around 2010? Or does it need to be a narrative game? There was a Spice Girls game for the PS1.

[Kryton]

First censored game? Elite removed slave trading in the US markets, I think.

Death race 1976. Not so much censored but taken off the shelves.

"What got everyone upset about Death Race was that you heard this little 'ahhhk' when the person got hit, and a little gravestone came up." Due to public outcry, Death Race's manufacturer takes the game off the market.

https://ncac.org/resource/a-timeline-of-video-game-controversies