Revised Pages Tempest Revised Pages LANDMARK VIDEO GAMES The Landmark Video Games book series is the first in the English language in which each book addresses a specific video game or video game series in depth, examining it in the light of a variety of approaches, including game design, genre, form, content, meanings, and its context within video game his- tory. The specific games or game series chosen are historically significant and influential games recognized not only for their quality of gameplay but also for setting new standards, introducing new ideas, incorporating new technol- ogy, or otherwise changing the course of a genre or area of video game history. The Landmark Video Games book series hopes to provide an intimate and detailed look at the history of video games through a study of exemplars that have paved the way and set the course that others would follow or emulate, and that became an important part of popular culture. Myst and Riven: The World of the D’ni by Mark J. P. Wolf Silent Hill: The Terror Engine by Bernard Perron DOOM: SCARYDARKFAST by Dan Pinchbeck Tempest: Geometries of Play by Judd Ethan Ruggill and Ken S. McAllister DIGITALCULTUREBOOKS, an imprint of the University of Michigan Press, is dedicated to publishing work in new media studies and the emerging field of digital humanities. Revised Pages Tempest Geometries of Play JUDD ETHAN RUGGILL AND KEN S. MCALLISTER UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN PRESS ANN ARBOR Revised Pages Copyright © by Judd Ethan Ruggill and Ken S. McAllister 2015 Some rights reserved This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution- Noncommercial-­No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, 171 Second Street, Suite 300, San Francisco, California, 94105, USA. Published in the United States of America by the University of Michigan Press Manufactured in the United States of America c Printed on acid- free paper 2018 2017 2016 2015 4 3 2 1 A CIP catalog record for this book is available from the British Library. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3998/lvg.13030180.0001.001 ISBN 978– 0- 472– 07269– 9 (hardcover : acid- free paper) ISBN 978– 0- 472– 05269– 1 (paperback : acid- free paper) ISBN 978– 0- 472– 12114– 4 (e- book) Revised Pages JER: To my buddy, Sky— rest in peaches . or at least in melon. And to my buddy, Simon, the Sneaky Pete: I do so miss the kangaroo foot. KSM: For Yrgl, B.O.C.: The world’s greatest tripod. Revised Pages Revised Pages Acknowledgments It is with deep gratitude and sincere pleasure that we recognize the follow- ing folks for their interest (genuine or feigned) in, encouragement of, and contribution to the researching and writing of this book: • Tom Dwyer, Christopher Dreyer, Aaron McCollough, Andrea Olson, Mary Hashman, and the staff and editorial board of the University of Michigan Press. Your professionalism, excellence, and flexibility were a joy. • Mark Wolf and Bernard Perron. Your vision and courage to launch the Landmark Video Games series has been inspiring and will undoubtedly prove a landmark in the history of game studies when all is said and done. • The anonymous reviewers who vetted our manuscript. The book is infinitely better for your suggestions. • All the kind people who generously granted us permission to use their materials, especially Greg McLemore, Rich Wiebke, Matt Reichert, and Casandra Brown. • The faculty, staff, and students of Arizona State University and the University of Arizona, in particular Carole Beal, Patti Bellew, Mi- chael Bluhm, Mike Bruck, Ellen Burgess, Bryan Carter, Alan Chu, Paul Cohen, José Cortez, Ryan Cresawn, Theresa Darras, The- resa Devine, Javier Durán, Lyn Duran, Alison Dushane, Yvonne Ervin, Richard Edmiston, Jeremy Frumkin, Cynthia Gaffney, Derek Green, Diane Gruber, Crystal Gustavson, Alex Halavais, Al Harahap, Paul Hurh, Kim Jones, Jeff Kassing, Doug Kelley, Hazel Revised Pages Kwon, Jan Lacey, Marvin Landis, Justin LeBreck, Jerry Lee, Chris Lukinbeal, Lindsey Meân, Sharonne Meyerson, Clay Morrison, Carol Mueller, Majia Nadesan, Ramsey Eric Ramsey, Jon Rein- hardt, Bart Rossman, Krysti Roush, Joellen Russell, Kris Sansbury, Gloria Sawrey, Charles Watkins Scruggs III, Jessica Shumake, Kayo Shintaku, Debbie Spargur, Jason Striker, Jane Strohm, Kel- land Thomas, Marlene Tromp, Elise Verzosa, Vince Waldron, John Warnock, Bonnie Wentzel, Suzanne Westbrook, Mary Wildner- Bassett, Greg Wise, and Cassie Wright. Thank you for contribut- ing to an outstanding and supportive work environment. • Our national and international colleagues, principally Steven Conway, Jennifer deWinter, Harrison Gish, Daniel Griffin, Carly Kocurek, Kevin Moberly, Ryan Moeller, Randy Nichols, Rolf Nohr, David O’Grady, Marc Ouellette, Matthew Payne, and Jason Thompson. Thanks kindly for helping us think through Tempest’s innovations and implications. • Our family and friends: Gwen Downey, Marvelous Marvin Duck- ler, Gina Hernandez, Justine Hernandez, Paula Klein, Jamie Lee, Adela and Dorothy Licona, Mandy McAllister, Amiee and Tara McDougal, Jacob Paige, Susan Reggin (for all the quarters), the Richter family, Bob Ruggill, Jane Ruggill, Dan Shindell, Rachel Srubas and all her kith and kin, and Aida and Sophia Villarreal. Your ability to tolerate us and our strange pursuits was the chief catalyst for this book. Revised Pages Contents List of Figures xi Introduction 1 one: Reading Tempest 11 two: A Genealogy of Tempest 34 three: Contexts 48 four: Life after Tempest 75 five: Conclusion 90 Appendixes Appendix A: Relevant Software and Hardware Companies Created between 1979 and 1982 99 Appendix B: Arcade Machines Released between 1979 and 1982 105 Notes 115 Works Cited 127 Index 153 Revised Pages Revised Pages Figures Fig. 1. Different arcade machine form factors 14 Fig. 2. Play screen 17 Fig. 3. Shooter 18 Fig. 4. Flipper 19 Fig. 5. Tanker 20 Fig. 6. Spiker 20 Fig. 7. Fuseball 20 Fig. 8. Pulsar 21 Fig. 9. Skill- Step 23 Fig. 10. Assortment of technical documents 25 Fig. 11. Operator-­Information Display 27 Fig. 12. Self-­Test 28 Fig. 13. Spinner 30 Fig. 14. Tempest cabinet/side art aliens 42 Fig. 15. 1980s arcade images 66 Fig. 16. 1980s arcade images 67 Fig. 17. 1980s arcade images 68 Fig. 18. Bally/Midway auxiliary show monitor 72 Fig. 19. Atari Tempest for 2600 prototype cart 80 Fig. 20. Atari Tempest for 2600 prototype box art 81 Fig. 21. Atari Tempest arts and crafts 88 Revised Pages Introduction The year 1980 was a landmark one for video games. As Scott Cohen notes in his now classic history of Atari, the company’s “[r]evenues for 1980 doubled to about $415 million, and operating income quintupled to $77 million, one- third of [parent company and media giant] Warner’s total 1980 operat- ing income. In six months Warner stock shot up 35 percent. Atari was the fastest growing company in the history of America” (1984, 73). While Atari was certainly the largest industry player at the time and expanding at an unparalleled rate, it did not hold a monopoly on the video game medium. In fact, comparatively, the game industry in 1980 was remarkably open to new entrants and innovations. Activision, for example, “sold $65.9 million in software [that same year], for a profit of $12.9 million” (Cohen 1984, 83), and there were many extant and emerging competitors to Atari’s Video Computer System (VCS), including the Odyssey2 (Magnavox), Intellivi- son (Mattel), and Channel F (Fairchild).1 At the same time, coin- operated, console, and handheld play were all lively and synergistic. Not only were the arcade and home markets both bustling, but console developers were also actively and successfully drawing from arcade source material (e.g., Atari’s VCS adaptation of Taito/Midway’s Space Invaders). In addition, 1980 was a particularly fertile time for game design. Developers released a su- perabundance of titles that rank among the most iconic and influential of all time: Battlezone, Berzerk, Crazy Climber, Defender, Missile Command, Pac- Man, Zork: The Great Underground Empire, and others. Indeed, while video game history is full of important moments, 1980 may well be the year the medium came of age as a commercial, artistic, and cultural force. That Tempest should have emerged in the wake of this especial élan Revised Pages 2 • tempest: geometries of play is only fitting. It is a landmark game in every sense of the term, from its abstract and futuristic imagery and gameplay to its impact on more than three decades of subsequent game design and development. It is a game that today, more than thirty years after its release, even non- players recog- nize as somehow unique and important. And yet, Tempest largely remains as enigmatic an artifact as when it was first released. Little has been done to unpack its significance or trace its form and functioning. Part of the reticence to undertake this work can be traced to the state of the field: like its object of focus, video game studies is still nascent and mercurial. It has not yet been wholly annealed by time or tradition, and as a result, much path- breaking is still to be done. By the same token, Tempest is also a special case. It does not have a slew of suc- cessors that build out its iconography and thus constantly point back to the archetype (cf., Donkey Kong’s [1981] Jumpman refashioned as Mario in Mario Bros. [1983] and numerous subsequent titles in the Nintendo cata- log), nor does it extend a design concept or narrative that is specifically connected to a larger cultural phenomenon that can serve as a focalizer (cf., Call of Duty: World at War [2008] and its redeployment of real- world events, geographies, and ideologies).