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The Morning Show - With Jill Riley

Coffee Break: National Video Game Day

Let's play video games!
Let's play video games! JasonDoiy/Getty Images

by Bill DeVille and Nilufer Arsala

July 08, 2024

One of the first known video games predates even the Atari. It was an electronic tennis game called Tennis For Two, and it was created in 1958 by nuclear physicist William Higinbotham. The video game sure has come a long way since its introduction that year at the Brookhaven National Laboratory in New York. So much so that now there are TWO holidays to celebrate the medium: Today is National Video Game Day (not to be confused with its cousin — National Video GAMES Day — which is celebrated in September).

Since its introduction, the video game has made an impact on all walks of life. Some people use games as recreation while others use their skills to create games. There have been feature films made based on game characters, and schools and universities across the country are launching E- Sports programs.

Let’s get in on the fun and “hit start” on the week by celebrating National Video Game Day with music!

So for today’s 9:30 Coffee Break, what songs related to video games would you like to hear?


Respond with your song ideas in the comments below.

Have an idea for a Coffee Break topic? Submit your idea for a future theme and browse past Coffee Breaks in our archive.

Songs Played
Lana Del Rey – Video Games
Royksopp – Happy Up Here
The Who – Pinball Wizard
Florence and the Machine – Too Much Is Never Enough
Sufjan Stevens – Video Game
Gorillaz – Pac-Man feat. Schoolboy Q
Beck – Bad Cartridge (E-Pro remixed by Paza)
Run The Jewels – No Save Point (bonus)