At first you didn't notice it - those random numbers seemed to be doing the job. As you learn more algorithms, though, you see the value in repeatability - being able to provide a seed for an algorithm, which would produce the same sequence of sort-of-random numbers when you needed it to. Being able to repeat things would be useful for testing, for some elements of game creation, and for art. That way you could recapture or re-create things as-needed.

Those old Atari's though were too advanced for their own good, though, and didn't use those kinds of algorithms! They'd read the noise on a chip in the computer when a random number was needed and spit that out - far more random than many algorithms, and entirely unrepeatable.

Digging into textbooks, BBS's, and beyond, you learn what's needed to enhance some of the methods you'd devised on your own. Although a far cry from some of the more complex and modern algorithms in use today, they fit the bill nicely for your needs at hand. Games, art, and experimentation continue to flourish!

[Those old bulletin board systems (BBSs) were a treat...you could dial-up with your 300bps modem and access information from around the world, without leaving home! Sure, you tied up the phone line while doing so, and it was at speeds that let you read the text as it was downloaded and shown on your screen, but it was there!]