Chapter 15. How a Computer Creates Visions

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This is how desperate early computer users were to have PCs that could show a picture. They were so determined to have a screen of objects that moved around and changed shape, kind of like the moving images on TV screens, that they created what you see in the small screenshot next to these words.

It’s a Pac-Man game created entirely with ASCII characters—for the most part the everyday, mundane letters and punctuation you use for text. Although it’s certainly not a treat for the eyes, games like this were amazingly playable—just as capable of providing hours of procrastination as full-blown graphic games ...

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