Video Game Newsroom Time Machine

Atari announces mass layoffs,
Time names the personal computer the man of the year &
Nintendo launches the Game and Watch in North America

These stories and many more on this episode of the VGNRTM

This episode we will look back at the biggest stories in and around the video game industry in February 1983. 
As always,  we'll mostly be using magazine cover dates, and those are of course always a bit behind the actual events.

Alex Smith of They Create Worlds is our cohost.  Check out his podcast here:
https://www.theycreateworlds.com/
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Links:
7 Minutes in Heaven: Spider-Man
    Video Version:  https://www.patreon.com/posts/79440858
    https://www.mobygames.com/game/9960/spider-man/
    https://www.mobygames.com/game/1870/spider-man/
    https://www.spidermancrawlspace.com/2018/06/podcast-512-interview-with-atari-2600-spider-man-game-designer-laura-nikolich/
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laura_Nikolich
    
Corrections:
    January 1983 Ep - https://www.patreon.com/posts/january-1983-78434711
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturday_Supercade
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragon%27s_Lair_(TV_series)
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betamax#Launch_and_early_models
    https://joeclark.org/beta/BetterBetaList.html
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yrm5VedvD2Q
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Kildall
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzdCyWY3GCI
    http://www.bitsavers.org/pdf/dec/_Books/101_BASIC_Computer_Games_Mar75.pdf
    https://www.mobygames.com/game/5050/jumping-flash/

1973.02    
Pong gets more notices    
    https://www.newspapers.com/clip/94010891/pong-noted-in-orange-mall-in-los-angeles/

Odyssey gets write up in Popular Electronics
    https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-Poptronics/70s/1973/Poptronics-1973-02.pdf  pg. 64
    https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Magnavox-Odyssey-Video-Cable.jpg

1983.01    
Al Lowe enters gaming biz
    https://books.google.com.au/books?id=AjAEAAAAMBAJ&lpg=PA16&ots=7EFL48Dot0&dq=Bop-A-Bet%20computer%20game%20Al%20Lowe&pg=PA16#v=onepage&q=Bop-A-Bet%20computer%20game%20Al%20Lowe&f=false
    https://www.mobygames.com/company/25974/sunnyside-soft/
    Al Lowe - Sierra https://www.patreon.com/posts/29977733
    

1983.02    
Atari profits nosedive as Coleco ascends
    https://www.nytimes.com/1983/02/17/business/warner-s-profit-falls-by-56.5.html?searchResultPosition=10
    Kevin Hayes - Atari - Namco htttps://www.patreon.com/posts/50612798
    The Video Game Crash 40th Anniversary - Part 2: Everyone Else https://www.patreon.com/posts/video-game-crash-76259421
    The Video Game Crash 40th Anniversary - Part 1: Atari https://www.patreon.com/posts/video-game-crash-75643983

Atari lays off 1,700
    https://www.newspapers.com/clip/62352386/atari-inc-mass-layoffs-begin/    
    https://www.nytimes.com/1983/02/23/business/atari-moving-most-production.html?searchResultPosition=15

Editors plead not to give up on games
    https://archive.org/details/computer-entertainer-video-game-update The Video Game Update Feb. 1983 pg. 1
    Double Dragon C64 https://www.mobygames.com/game/1839/double-dragon/screenshots/c64/

Atari snags microchip Intel luminary
    https://www.nytimes.com/1983/02/01/business/atari-hires-inventor-of-microprocessor-chip.html?searchResultPosition=1   
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcian_Hoff
    Leonard Tramiel - Part 2 - Atari  https://www.patreon.com/posts/71643153
    Leonard Tramiel - Part 1 - Commodore  https://www.patreon.com/posts/leonard-tramiel-69195513
    https://engineering.stanford.edu/news/ted-hoff-birth-microprocessor-and-beyond

Showbiz turns Apple iis into coinops
    Play Meter Feb. 1, 1983, pg.  54    
    https://www.mlive.com/news/jackson/2015/09/peek_through_time_showbiz_pizz.html    
    https://www.facebook.com/showbizpizzacom/photos/a.307884760553/10156663089730554/?type=3

Kiddie rides meet video games
    Play Meter Feb. 15, 1983 pg. 68
    https://archive.org/details/arcade_express_v1n15/page/n2/mode/1up
    https://www.kiddieridesusa.com/

Atari announces "My First Computer"
    https://www.nytimes.com/1983/02/10/business/atari-game-converter.html?searchResultPosition=2
    https://www.atarimagazines.com/compute/issue36/020_Ataris_New_Add-On_Computer_For_VCS_2600_Game_Machine.php

Mattel shows off Intellivision 3 behind closed doors
    https://archive.org/details/arcade_express_v1n14    
    https://history.blueskyrangers.com/hardware/intellivision3.html
    
Coleco announces Gemini
    https://archive.org/details/computer-entertainer-video-game-update  
    The Video Game Update Feb. 1983 pg. 11
    The Video Game Update Feb. 1983 pg. 14
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coleco_Gemini

Add-ons are the new name of the game!
    https://archive.org/details/computer-entertainer-video-game-update 
    The Video Game Update Feb. 1983 pg. 6, 10, 11   
    https://archive.org/details/arcade_express_v1n15/page/n7/mode/1up
    Toy & Hobby World Feb. 1983
    http://podcast.theycreateworlds.com/e/the-crash-that-almost-was/
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coleco_Adam

Amiga's Joyboard brings motion controls to the VCS
    https://www.nytimes.com/1983/02/13/business/what-s-new-in-the-toy-industry-exercising-with-video-games.html?searchResultPosition=9   
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joyboard   
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amiga
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guru_Meditation

Atari goes after pre-schoolers
    https://www.nytimes.com/1983/02/13/business/what-s-new-in-the-toy-industry-exercising-with-video-games.html?searchResultPosition=9   
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTp_wBnSW9k
    The Video Game Update Feb. 1983 pg. 5
    https://www.mobygames.com/game/22900/alpha-beam-with-ernie/cover/group-97061/cover-265056/

Sega enters cartridge market
    Leisure Time Electronics Feb. 1983 pg. 22   
    https://www.mobygames.com/browse/games/company:8665/platform:atari-2600/sort:moby_score/page:0/   
    Playthings Feb. 1983
    
Fox announces MASH game
    https://archive.org/details/computer-entertainer-video-game-update 
    The Video Game Update Feb. 1983 pg. 5
    https://www.mobygames.com/game/19861/mash/
    https://www.mobygames.com/game/22975/porkys/screenshots/

Video game rentals take off
    https://archive.org/details/Electronic_Fun_with_Computer_Games_Vol_01_No_04_1983-02_Fun_Games_Publishing_US/page/n89/mode/1up

Toy retailers plan shift from consoles to computers
    Playthings Feb. 1983 
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHujs7ka_K0
    
Time crowns the computer Man of the Year
    https://archive.org/details/TeleMatch.N02.1983.02-KCz.pdf/page/n9/mode/1up
    https://content.time.com/time/covers/0,16641,19830103,00.html

CES and Toy Fare see new computers galore
    https://archive.org/details/computer-entertainer-video-game-update
    Toys Hobbies and Crafts Feb. 1983
    http://www.atarihq.com/museum/nonatari/ultravision.php
    https://www.samdal.com/sv318.htm
    https://www.samdal.com/svhistory.htm
    http://www.atari-computermuseum.de/1200xl.htm
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mattel_Aquarius
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TI-99/4A#TI-99/4A_successors

Byte looks at the Lisa
    https://archive.org/details/byte-magazine-1983-02-rescan/page/n34/mode/1up    
    ttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Lisa
    https://archive.org/details/byte-magazine-1983-02-rescan/page/n87/mode/1up

PC upgraders pose a problem for IBM
    https://archive.org/details/byte-magazine-1983-02-rescan/page/n430/mode/1up

IBM goes abroad
    https://archive.org/details/arcade_express_v1n15/page/n3/mode/1up
    https://archive.org/details/popular-computing-weekly-1983-02-17/page/n9/mode/2up
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_Personal_Computer

Intel begins work on 386
    https://archive.org/details/byte-magazine-1983-02-rescan/page/n433/mode/1up    
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I386

Tandy cuts CoCo price
    https://archive.org/details/byte-magazine-1983-02-rescan/page/n434/mode/1up
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TRS-80_Color_Computer

ZX Spectrum hits retail
    https://archive.org/details/sinclair-user-magazine-011/page/n14/mode/1up
    https://youtu.be/-BLM1naCfME
    https://youtu.be/kUSHiHmOdvE
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZX_Spectrum

TI 99 could go B-O-O-M
    https://www.nytimes.com/1983/02/23/business/texas-instruments.html?searchResultPosition=1

Michael Katz moves to Epyx
    https://www.nytimes.com/1983/02/28/business/business-people-a-new-chief-for-epyx-game-software-maker.html?searchResultPosition=2
    https://archive.org/details/arcade_express_v1n14/page/n7/mode/1up
    Michael Katz Part 1 - Coleco - Epyx - Mattel  https://www.patreon.com/posts/35169258
    https://www.mobygames.com/game/10151/gi-joe-a-real-american-hero/

Cosmi announces Tri-compatible cassette
    The Video Game Update Feb. 1983 pg. 16
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmi_Corporation

Broderbund goes multiplatform
    https://archive.org/details/arcade_express_v1n14/page/n2/mode/1up
    Gary Carlston- Broderbund  https://www.patreon.com/posts/50036733

TSR gets into video games
    https://archive.org/details/BlipMagazineCollection/Blip%2001%20%28Feb%201983%29%20TV%20Star%20Matthew%20Laborteaux/page/n34/mode/1up  
    https://www.mobygames.com/game/53549/theseus-and-the-minotaur/screenshots/   
    https://www.mobygames.com/game/93453/dawn-patrol/screenshots/    
    https://www.mobygames.com/game/99272/dungeon-computer-adventure-game/

Virgin gets into games
    https://archive.org/details/popular-computing-weekly-1983-02-24/page/n4/mode/1up
    https://archive.org/details/popular-computing-weekly-1983-02-03/page/n4/mode/1up

Brian Fargo's first gets reviewed
    https://archive.org/details/softalkv3n06feb1983/page/133/mode/1up
    https://www.mobygames.com/game/1795/the-demons-forge/

Save money on "expensive adventure game dice"
    https://archive.org/details/arcade_express_v1n15/page/n4/mode/1up
    https://archive.org/details/syncmagazine-v3_n1/page/n97/mode/1up

Nintendo launches Game and Watch in North America
    Leisure Time electronics Feb. 1983 pg. 26
    Replay Feb. 1983 pg.  75    
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_%26_Watch
    https://nintendo.fandom.com/de/wiki/Panorama  

Massachusettes judge calls game content "inconsequential"
    Games People Feb. 19, 1983  pg. 1
    https://casetext.com/case/caswell-v-licensing-commission-for-brockton

GCC seeks a piece of Pacman merch pie
    https://archive.org/details/Video_Games_Volume_1_Number_05_1983-02_Pumpkin_Press_US/page/n97/mode/1up
    https://pacman.fandom.com/wiki/History_of_Ms._Pac-Man_legal_issues
    https://pacman.fandom.com/wiki/Ms._Pac-Man#Pac-Mom

Ronnie Lamm on MacNeil/Lehrer
    https://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-507-6d5p844g0b

Xrated games to feature in movie
    Games People Feb. 19, 1983  pg. 1
    http://allincolorforaquarter.blogspot.com/2013/03/rare-games-more-1975-atari-photos-and.html
    https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0085764/?ref_=hm_rvi_tt_i_2

First US cases of video game induced seizures reported
    Games People Feb. 19, 1983  pg. 1
    
Sega gets into robots
    Play Meter Feb. 15, 1983 pg. 69
    https://sega.fandom.com/wiki/Sega_Chan
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R.O.B.

Leisure Dynamics announces Crossbows and Catapults
    Toy & Hobby World Feb. 1983 pg. 197
    https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/2129/crossbows-and-catapults
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Wars

Recommended Links:
The History of How We Play: https://thehistoryofhowweplay.wordpress.com/
Gaming Alexandria: https://www.gamingalexandria.com/wp/
They Create Worlds: https://tcwpodcast.podbean.com/
Digital Antiquarian: https://www.filfre.net/
The Arcade Blogger: https://arcadeblogger.com/
Retro Asylum: http://retroasylum.com/category/all-posts/
Retro Game Squad: http://retrogamesquad.libsyn.com/
Playthrough Podcast: https://playthroughpod.com/
Retromags.com: https://www.retromags.com/
Games That Weren't - https://www.gamesthatwerent.com/

Sound Effects by Ethan Johnson of History of How We Play.

Copyright Karl Kuras

Find out on the VGNRTM

commodore
atari
mattel
vcs
intellivision
spectravision
colecovision
nintendo
gamenwatch
pacman
dnd
tsr
spectrum
ibm
sega
spiderman