The Apple TV could be Apple’s first game console, sort of.

According to Engadget, code buried within iOS 4.3 development software suggests that Apple’s set top streaming movies and television device, the Apple TV, could soon support games.

A source provided the blog with snapshots of the code, which refer to items like “ATVGames” and “ATVThunder,” that could represent some sort of videogame support in a forthcoming version of the device. The terms, they suggest, are representative of leaderboard, matchmaking, and games distribution services, though an exact explanation of how or why they came to that conclusion was not provided.

Of course, random lines of code presented out of context with what seems to be a pretty liberal interpretation are by no means hard evidence, but it isn’t a leap of the imagination either.

With the iPad, iPod touch, iPhone, and Mac all featuring some capacity for gaming, the Apple TV is the one major holdout in Apple’s range.

Not to mention, the device has some clearly established potential as a gaming platform, as we first illustrated in October, with protocols like AirPlay, which could allow users to control games with their iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch.