March 1982

Mar 29, 2022

Piracy runs rampant in UK arcades
PacMan fever is everywhere
Commodore debuts the C64

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 March 1982.
As always, we'll mostly be using magazine cover dates, and those are of course always a bit behind the actual events.

Mads from the Retro Asylum is our cohost. You can find his other fine podcasts here:
http://retroasylum.com
and
https://playthroughpod.com/

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Links:
7 Minutes in Heaven: Guttang Gotton/Loco-Motion
Video version - https://www.patreon.com/posts/64415631
https://www.mobygames.com/game/loco-motion

Corrections:
February 1982 Ep - https://www.patreon.com/posts/63177692
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LaserDisc
https://www.mobygames.com/game/kick
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pac-Man_(TV_series)#Broadcast_history
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ItnxeyAa1Mo
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intellivision
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bell_Telephone_Company

1932
The Connecticut Leather Company is founded
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/60429047/coleco-incorporation/
They Create Worlds - Visions of Coleco Part 1 - https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-hmuip-ef4480
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coleco

1942
Pinball production must end
https://www.nytimes.com/1942/03/19/archives/pinball-strategy.html?searchResultPosition=1
https://www.nytimes.com/1942/03/17/archives/making-game-machines-to-end-may-1-says-wpb.html?searchResultPosition=4
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_Production_Board

Drive Mobile comes under judicial scrutiny
https://www.nytimes.com/1942/03/13/archives/new-device-tested-under-pinball-ban-court-sees-demonstrations-for.html?searchResultPosition=2
http://www.pinrepair.com/arcade/mdrivey.htm

Pennsylvania bans free play pinball
https://www.nytimes.com/1942/03/01/archives/court-hitspin-ball-games-pennsylvania-superior-bench-orders.html?searchResultPosition=3

1962
Pinball games seized in raid
https://www.nytimes.com/1962/03/21/archives/pinball-devices-seized-in-raid.html?searchResultPosition=1

Cornell Aeronautical Laboratory develops photo scanner
https://www.nytimes.com/1962/03/28/archives/new-machines-can-see.html?searchResultPosition=11
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image_scanner#Drum

Renting computer time on the rise
https://www.nytimes.com/1962/03/04/archives/data-centers-aid-small-business-renting-of-computer-time-keeps.html?searchResultPosition=7

1972
Silicon image storage has arrived
https://www.nytimes.com/1972/03/05/archives/television-framesnatching-playback-storage-spawning-a-business.html?searchResultPosition=51
https://www.cognasys.com/DrHofstein.htm

Computer predicts the end of the world
https://www.nytimes.com/1972/03/05/archives/the-machine-the-doom-and-the-fool.html?searchResultPosition=23
https://www.vice.com/en/article/z3xw3x/new-research-vindicates-1972-mit-prediction-that-society-will-collapse-soon

RCA gets patent for liquid crystal display
https://www.nytimes.com/1972/03/25/archives/liquid-crystal-display-is-devised-at-rca-rcas-liquid-crystal.html?searchResultPosition=66

1982
The Force is strong with Parker Brothers
Playthings February 1982
https://www.mobygames.com/company/parker-brothers
https://www.mobygames.com/company/coleco-industries-inc
Tom Dusenberry Interview - https://www.patreon.com/posts/42807419

Coke gets into games
Play Meter March 15, 1982 pg. 18
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbia_Pictures#1980s:_Coca-Cola,_Tri-Star,_and_other_acquisitions_and_ventures
They Create Worlds - Gottlieb Part 1 - https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-89fxj-111b603
They Create Worlds - Gottlieb Part 2 - https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-6xbge-112f173

UK arcade market in decline
Play Meter March 15, 1982 pg. 35
https://archive.org/details/Computer_Video_Games_Issue_005_1982-03_EMAP_Publishing_GB/page/n25/mode/2up
Kevin Hayes Interview - https://www.patreon.com/posts/50612798

Tempest introduces Skill Step
https://archive.org/details/Computer_Video_Games_Issue_005_1982-03_EMAP_Publishing_GB/page/n25/mode/2up
https://usermanual.wiki/Document/TempestSkillStep.2974291577/html

Deregulation comes to coin op
Play Meter March 15, 1982 pg. 17
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vertical_restraints
https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a15352113/why-do-we-keep-buying-vehicles-at-dealerships/

Supreme Court refuses to hear Mesquite Texas case
Games People Pay Late Edition March 1982, pg. 9
https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/455/283/

Nintendo goes after Crazy Kong
Replay March 1982, pg. 110
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crazy_Kong

Twin Galaxies is keeping score
Replay March 1982 pg. 136
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twin_Galaxies
https://www.twingalaxies.com/

Atari up 50%
Games People Pay Late Edition March 1982, pg. 9
They Create Worlds - https://www.mixcloud.com/theycreateworlds/atari-ray-kassar-and-warner/

Toyfare sees battle for gaming market heat up
https://www.newspapers.com/image/?clipping_id=61771436&fcfToken=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJmcmVlLXZpZXctaWQiOjQwMDk2MzAxNywiaWF0IjoxNjQ3NzU2NTUzLCJleHAiOjE2NDc4NDI5NTN9.8YjZ5IOI_OxLvRbcF4fy7FeRFCC80355-COi5KID-VQ
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intellivoice
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intellivoice#Games
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dM1EW-eQEIo

Atari announces massive ad campaign
Playthings, March 1982
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0lFpUqGons
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DAjb4GLit4E
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pR_l7YEVKeE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=opVmjPGzBUg

Pacman released on the 2600
https://twitter.com/GameResearch_E/status/1502030565213712393?s=20&t=TsBTMS354YUjXwWENTg78g
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pac-Man_(Atari_2600)

Ms. Pac-Man gets reviewed
Games People Pay Early Edition March 1982, pg. 7, 9
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ms._Pac-Man

Pac-Man Fever the album hits store shelves
Replay March 1982, pg. 121
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pac-Man_Fever_(album)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0EL27TypZSw

Astrovision announces new games and peripherals
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=naNbcrxTZ9w
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bally_Astrocade
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gez3MlUVpe0

Winter CES brings the computer goods
https://archive.org/details/1982-03-compute-magazine/page/n27/mode/1up
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commodore_MAX_Machine
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commodore_64
https://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=320
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bally_Astrocade
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GRASS_(programming_language)
http://oldcomputers.net/toshiba-t100.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharp_PC-1500
https://www.zock.com/8-Bit/D_FX9000.HTML
https://www.unige.ch/medecine/nouspikel/ti99/ea_mod.htm
https://archive.org/details/Computer_Video_Games_Issue_005_1982-03_EMAP_Publishing_GB/page/n65/mode/1up

Epyx goes PC
https://archive.org/details/Computer_Gaming_World_Issue_2.2/Computer_Gaming_World_Issue_2.2/page/n3/mode/1up
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epyx
https://www.mobygames.com/browse/games/dos/epyx-inc/1982/

Lucasfilm is the talk of Siggraph
https://archive.org/details/creativecomputing-1982-03-a/page/n89/mode/2up
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNB7JaGj-hE
https://www.mobygames.com/game/c64/rescue-on-fractalus
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pixar#Early_history

Judge in IBM case calls for congressional inquiry
https://www.nytimes.com/1982/03/06/business/tenacious-judge-in-ibm-case.html?searchResultPosition=16
https://cs.stanford.edu/people/eroberts/cs181/projects/corporate-monopolies/government_ibm.html

Personal Software becomes VisiCorp
https://archive.org/details/softalkv2n07mar1982/page/43/mode/1up
https://archive.org/details/softalkv2n07mar1982/page/99/mode/1up
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VisiCalc

Programs Unlimited begins franchising
https://archive.org/details/softalkv2n07mar1982/page/43/mode/1up
September 1981 Jump - https://www.patreon.com/posts/56209373

Joel Billings takes on Chris Crawford
https://archive.org/details/Computer_Gaming_World_Issue_2.2/Computer_Gaming_World_Issue_2.2/page/n4/mode/1up
https://archive.org/details/Computer_Gaming_World_Issue_1.1/page/n4/mode/1up
Joel Billings Interview - https://www.patreon.com/posts/36827469
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atari_Cosmos

Gamers are targetted by Navy recruiters
Games People Pay Late Edition March 1982, pg. 8
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087597/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1

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/

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

Find out on the VGNRTM
https://www.patreon.com/posts/64415756