Judd Ethan Ruggill - Tempest: Geometries of Play

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Judd Ethan Ruggill
and
Ken S. McAllister

University of Michigan Press

Ann Arbor

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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

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 9780-472072699 (hardcover : acid-free paper)

ISBN 9780-472052691 (paperback : acid-free paper)

ISBN 9780-472121144 (e-book)

Page v JER: To my buddy, Skyrest 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 worlds greatest tripod.

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It is with deep gratitude and sincere pleasure that we recognize the following 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, Michael Bluhm, Mike Bruck, Ellen Burgess, Bryan Carter, Alan Chu, Paul Cohen, Jos Cortez, Ryan Cresawn, Theresa Darras, Theresa Devine, Javier Durn, 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 Page viii Kwon, Jan Lacey, Marvin Landis, Justin LeBreck, Jerry Lee, Chris Lukinbeal, Lindsey Men, Sharonne Meyerson, Clay Morrison, Carol Mueller, Majia Nadesan, Ramsey Eric Ramsey, Jon Reinhardt, Bart Rossman, Krysti Roush, Joellen Russell, Kris Sansbury, Gloria Sawrey, Charles Watkins Scruggs III, Jessica Shumake, Kayo Shintaku, Debbie Spargur, Jason Striker, Jane Strohm, Kelland Thomas, Marlene Tromp, Elise Verzosa, Vince Waldron, John Warnock, Bonnie Wentzel, Suzanne Westbrook, Mary Wildner-Bassett, Greg Wise, and Cassie Wright. Thank you for contributing 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 OGrady, Marc Ouellette, Matthew Payne, and Jason Thompson. Thanks kindly for helping us think through Tempests innovations and implications.

Our family and friends: Gwen Downey, Marvelous Marvin Duckler, 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.

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Fig. 1. Different arcade machine form factors

Fig. 2. Play screen

Fig. 3. Shooter

Fig. 4. Flipper

Fig. 5. Tanker

Fig. 6. Spiker

Fig. 7. Fuseball

Fig. 8. Pulsar

Fig. 9. Skill-Step

Fig. 10. Assortment of technical documents

Fig. 11. Operator-Information Display

Fig. 12. Self-Test

Fig. 13. Spinner

Fig. 14. Tempest cabinet/side art aliens

Fig. 15. 1980s arcade images

Fig. 16. 1980s arcade images

Fig. 17. 1980s arcade images

Fig. 18. Bally/Midway auxiliary show monitor

Fig. 19. Atari Tempest for 2600 prototype cart

Fig. 20. Atari Tempest for 2600 prototype box art

Fig. 21. Atari Tempest arts and crafts

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The year 1980 was a landmark one for video games. As Scott Cohen notes in his now classic history of Atari, the companys [r]evenues for 1980 doubled to about $415 million, and operating income quintupled to $77 million, one-third of [parent company and media giant] Warners total 1980 operating 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 Ataris Video Computer System (VCS), including the Odyssey2 (Magnavox), Intellivison (Mattel), and Channel F (Fairchild). 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., Ataris VCS adaptation of Taito/Midways Space Invaders). In addition, 1980 was a particularly fertile time for game design. Developers released a superabundance 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 lan Page 2 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 recognize 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,