Anyone remember the Pippin? Apple released a (terrible) gaming console back in '95/'96.
I don't think prior mistakes (or general ignorance of the games market) are the reason there aren't apps on the Apple TV now. Maybe it's a hardware thing (A4 can't drive games at HD resolution)? Maybe it's a chicken/egg issue (not enough Apple TVs to warrant developer attention)?
Remember that Apple at this time was a company that made terrible computers and handheld devices too (Remember the Performa and the Newton?)
Doing games on the AppleTV wouldn't be that unattractive for Apple, consumers or developers:
1) The asking price of the Apple TV is very competitive ($129AUD last time I checked) compared to most consoles on the market. You can buy three or four of them for the price of a XBox 360, Playstation 3 or a Wii.
2) Apple currently market the iPod Touch as a portable gaming system and there are a lot of children/teenagers who have bought one because the games are cheap and addictive - theres no need to go to the store or use their parents credit card to purchase.
3) The amount of hit games first sold on the AppStore is testament to the amount of work Apple have done to make their platform an attractive target to game developers.
4) The current Apple TV uses the same SoC that the iPad currently does. While I am no hardware expert, I'd imagine that later revisions of this SoC would be at least as powerful as Nintendo's Wii. While the Wii is "underpowered" compared to the PS3 or XBox 360 it has been a roaring success because the content, not the technical capability, has drawn in casual gamers.
I don't think prior mistakes (or general ignorance of the games market) are the reason there aren't apps on the Apple TV now. Maybe it's a hardware thing (A4 can't drive games at HD resolution)? Maybe it's a chicken/egg issue (not enough Apple TVs to warrant developer attention)?