BIG news!
By Donald A. Thomas, Jr.
 
The election is coming up. That seems to be important. It's 
big news each night on radio and television lately. When I 
think hard about it, I am not sure why. Many people feel, as 
do I, that politicians say what they have to in order to be 
elected. Who knows what they'll really do in office. Even if I 
gloss over that admittedly defeatist viewpoint, there remains 
another popular viewpoint that the election is already 
decided... at least this year anyway.
 
I suppose it's tradition. We all have to talk about it and 
hear about it just because it's America's ultimate soap opera. 
After all, obvious slam dunk elections have turned up as big 
misses at the polls in the past. It could happen again. As for 
me, I'd just love to see an innovative game company develop a 
program that pitched famous politicians against each other. 
Since the early days, when Activision released their blocky 
"Boxing" game in 1980, one-against-one bouts have been a 
popular video game subject. I'd love to see Clinton and Dole 
go at it in a video game. Perot makes a great on-deck 
challenger too! I suppose they'd have to V-Chip the game and 
gray out any blood scenes. I should run for President. I'd 
love to be in that game to throw some punches. Hey, everyone, 
write me in! <g>  
"Turning Point", a popular television news magazine, featured 
an in-depth life-after-death segment the other night. Do you 
suppose there's a coincidence that Halloween is around the 
corner? Nah, they wouldn't be that corny, would they? The only 
explanation is that it must be big news. Personally, the 
entire concept seems to me to be more philosophical than 
newsworthy. If it wasn't for my family tying up the 
television, I would have preferred to play "Crypts of Chaos" 
(20th Century Fox, 1982), "Demon Attack" (Imagic, 1982), 
"Entombed" (USgames, 1982), "Frankenstein's Monster" (Data 
Age, 1983), "Ghostbusters" (Activision, 1984), "Ghost Manor" 
(Xonox, 1983) or "Haunted House" (Atari, 1981). Although none 
of those equal the notoriety earned by the likes of 
"Asteroids" (Atari, 1981) or "Missile Command" (Atari, 1980), 
they were all fun, share a spooky theme and helped wear the 
metal contacts thin on my Atari 2600 cartridge port.
 
So the world is changing. No one cares if our President ever 
inhaled and schools turn in six year olds for kissing 
classmates to show affection. (Just imagine the outcry if 
"Custer's Revenge" (Mystique, 1982) was released in today's 
climate.) Sports games are hot news to gamers, but the 
mainstream press never mentions them. There's not enough room 
in the newspaper after you cover the more important non-sports 
news, you know what I mean, don't you?, the strikes, the 
spitting, the car crashes while boozed up. I think there's 
more real game action at Little League. For me, a good game of 
"Real Sports Baseball" (Atari, 1982) or "Bowling" (Atari, 
1978) gives me all the virtual sports action I ever needed and 
the players never wind up being arrested.
 
Yes, the world is changing. "PacMan" peaked when he made the 
cover of "Time Magazine" in the October 25, 1982 issue.
 
They don't still sell Ralston's "Donkey Kong" cereal (1982) 
any more, right? I don't know. I stopped helping to pick 
cereal when I stopped seeing those cool video game promotions 
on the backs of packages each month. Yea, I see them sometimes 
now for a complete PlayStation system or a Big Screen TV, but 
it's not the same. They used to give away trips to Atari 
Headquarters and full size arcade games. I still have a couple 
dozen of the scratch off cards handed out at McDonald's 
restaurants in 1982 based on popular video games. Why don't 
they do things like that anymore?
 
It was April 1976, when Atari first released the coin-op 
version of "Breakout". I remember sharing time with a friend 
at a convenience store well past midnight on one of those 
machines. Through the cigarette-stained glass and our own 
smoke filled eyes, we would stare at colored "bricks" and 
bouncing pixels for hours on end, driving the four-cornered 
ball past the front rows of bricks and into a wild frenzy 
against the back rows through a corridor at one side of the 
screen or another.
 
Back then, things were different. No one heard of Aids and 
teenagers were afraid of being caught at something rather than 
catching something.  
I wish I kept the old newspaper clippings I saved back then. I 
one day threw them away because it was clear to me then that 
video games and home computers were front-page topics forever. 
I never had enough room to store all that paper. There were 
great video game magazines then just as there are now too. 
Back then, though, even "Playboy" and "Popular Science" talked 
about the new form of adult toys that integrated sizzling 
visuals, tantalizing sounds and responsive joysticks into one 
heck of a good time. Do they still cover those topics anymore?
 
So who is buying these great new video games in stores today? 
Do none of these people watch television or read newspapers? 
Why is it that the video game industry is so huge, but new 
product releases and great top-notch programmers hardly ever 
rate in the entertainment sections? Where is Warren Robinett 
lately?  Who's he dating? Is he married? Children? Why isn't 
he ever in the celebrity round-up section of USA Today? 
(Please don't tell me you don't know who he is. You'll really 
make me sob.)
 
By the way, one of the institutional founders of the gaming 
industry proverbially died a few weeks ago. JTS, a disk drive 
company, absorbed all of Atari Corporation's assets and pretty 
much soaked it all up with few traces of the monolith that 
once stood. Ever see the witch melt in Wizard of Oz? Kind of 
the same thing, except muted.
 
No big deal though. After all, Atari's final fall is not 
nearly as big news as predetermined elections, kissing babies, 
spitting athletes and Halloween stories of an afterlife. Is 
it?
 
--Don Thomas
   75300.1267@compuserve.com
   209/239-3898
 
(The best people to ask these questions are those who have 
exposure to the public. If you believe Atari left us without 
saying goodbye, contact "Dateline" at dateline@nbc.com. If you 
REALLY believe, then send this article to 10 of your friends 
in e-mail. AND if YOU REALLY, REALLY believe, mail a few to 
newspapers or other news programs. A letter in your own words 
would be great!)
 
Permission is granted to freely reprint this article provided 
the author is duly credited. (10/26/96)

