Want to see gaming’s past and future? Dive into the “educational” world of PLATO

In the days of mainframe computing, one system stood miles ahead of the rest. PLATO (Programmed Logic for Automatic Teaching Operations) wasn’t special for its power or speed or graphical prowess, though. It was remarkable for the ideas that drove its development and for the breadth of its impact—starting in the 1960s and accelerating through the ’70s and ’80s, PLATO terminals became omnipresent throughout schools, universities, and offices around the world.