''Video Pinball'' is a

video game A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...

programmed by Bob Smith and released by Atari, Inc. in 1981 for the Atari Video Computer System (renamed to the

Atari 2600 The Atari 2600 is a home video game console developed and produced by Atari, Inc. Released in September 1977 as the Atari Video Computer System (Atari VCS), it popularized microprocessor-based hardware and games stored on swappable ROM cartridg ...

in 1982). The

Sears Sears, Roebuck and Co., commonly known as Sears ( ), is an American chain of department stores and online retailer founded in 1892 by Richard Warren Sears and Alvah Curtis Roebuck and reincorporated in 1906 by Richard Sears and Julius Rosen ...

rebranded version for its Tele-Games system is ''Arcade Pinball''.

Gameplay

''Video Pinball'' is a loose simulation of an arcade

pinball Pinball games are a family of games in which a ball is propelled into a specially designed table where it bounces off various obstacles, scoring points either en route or when it comes to rest. Historically the board was studded with nails call ...

machine: ball launcher, flippers, bumpers, and spinners. Hitting the Atari logo on the playfield four times awards an extra ball. Pulling down on the joystick pulls the pinball machine plunger back while pressing the joystick button shoots the ball into the playfield. The left and right flippers are activated by moving the joystick controller left or right. The ball can be nudged (as in nudging a table gently in real life) by holding down the joystick button and moving the controller in a particular direction. Nudging too much results in a tilt, forcing the ball to drain.

Development

Bob Smith applied to work for Atari, Inc. at the end of the 1970s and was hired on the spot. Smith shared an office Brad Stewart who had worked on the Atari VCS version of ''

Asteroids An asteroid is a minor planet—an object larger than a meteoroid that is neither a planet nor an identified comet—that orbits within the Solar System#Inner Solar System, inner Solar System or is co-orbital with Jupiter (Trojan asteroids). As ...

''. After a week in the office, Smith was offered a list of possible games to work on from his boss Dennis Koble and opted to work on ''Video Pinball''. While he did play the original ''Video Pinball'' arcade game in Atari headquarters, he played the ''Superman'' pinball game by Atari for inspiration.

References

Sources

External links

* 1981 video games Atari 2600 games Atari 2600-only games Multiplayer and single-player video games Multiplayer hotseat games Pinball video games Video games developed in the United States Sears video games {{atari-stub

Gameplay

Development

See also

References

Sources

External links