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That explanation still wouldn't mean support the assertion that writing the lander game is the part that's "impressive for a high school senior in 1967."
If anything, all this explanation would show is that their having access to a computer is the "impressive" part.
This is 5 years before pong - you are inventing game concepts from scratch rather than standing on the shoulders of giants.
It's only impressive because very few (none?) high schools teach calculus at the level required for his implementation. High schoolers are quite capable of handling that kind of calculus, it's just that the high schools don't teach it.
It's easier to be the second person to do something.
I got told off for doing an integral.
Evidence since has shown I'm reasonably intelligent but not the Popper or Goldbach or even the Walter Bright of our times.
Humanity the organism evolves so more things become obvious to more average members. Perhaps ten year olds will see the intuitive use of monadic structures in the future.
It reminds me of an article I read about Jai alai years ago: the sport is long, long past its peak, and one of the people interviewed said the players nowadays are some of the best ever, because only people who are really, really good and really, really love the game still try to play professionally.