In the age of computers, that statement takes on new meanings: Only a few people in the world can beat the best computerized chess-playing machines. And video games cannot ever really be defeated because, no matter how high the score, it is always the human who tires first or makes the fatal error.

This chapter, largely focusing on toys and computerized games, will show how microelectronic-chip technology has enabled game designers to conveniently and inexpensively transform plain television screens into playfields of extraordinary capability. And it will be seen how, from a small kernel, there rapidly evolved a business that is of global scale comparable to that of movies or music, and often more vibrant than either.

First, however, important perspective is gained by examining the traditional toy and game sectors.

Not just for kids

Throughout the ages, toys have always reflected the technological capabilities and the cultural traditions of the societies in which they have been developed. Early primitive toys, some found by archaeologists going back as far as 5,000 years, were made of clay or wood or cloth, for example. Hobbyhorses and toy pets were seen in early Greece. Children of medieval times played with miniatures of knights and cannons and dolls dressed as monks. Fashion dolls were favorites of French aristocrats in the Middle Ages, and doll cabinets decorated the homes of wealthy Dutch and German merchants in the 1700s.