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| ==Development== | ==Development== | ||
| ''Bowling'' was designed by ]. It was his final game for ] before leaving the company to co-found ].{{sfn|Digital Eclipse|ref=BowlingA50}} | ''Bowling'' was designed by ]. It was his final game for ] before leaving the company to co-found ].{{sfn|Digital Eclipse|ref=BowlingA50}} | ||
| Prior to the release of ''Bowling'' other games around the sport were released for home consoles such as ''Bowling'' (1978) for ] (1978), ''Bowling/Basketball'' (1978) for ] and ]'s ''Bowling'' (1978). While the Fairchild Channel F game allowed the players to curve the ball, Kaplan's game allowed the players to not just influence the trajectory of the ball, but also position and control the on-screen figure of a bowler who swung their arm and launched the ball down the lane.{{sfn|Saucier|2023}} | |||
| ==Reception== | ==Reception== | ||
Revision as of 03:50, 22 October 2024
Video game for the Atari 2600 from 1979 | This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Bowling" 1979 video game – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (May 2015) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
| Bowling | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Atari, Inc. |
| Publisher(s) | Atari, Inc. |
| Designer(s) | Larry Kaplan |
| Platform(s) | Atari 2600 |
| Release |
|
| Genre(s) | Sports |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
Bowling is a sports video game published in 1979 by Atari, Inc. for the Atari VCS (later renamed the Atari 2600). It was programmed by Larry Kaplan who left Atari to co-found Activision the same year. The game is an interpretation of the sport bowling, playable by one or two players.
Gameplay
In all six variations, games last for 10 frames, or turns. At the start of each frame, the current player is given two chances to roll a bowling ball down an alley in an attempt to knock down as many of the ten bowling pins as possible. The bowler (on the left side of the screen) may move up and down his end of the alley to aim before releasing the ball. In four of the game's six variations, the ball can be steered before it hits the pins. Knocking down every pin on the first shot is a strike, while knocking every pin down in both shots is a spare. The player's score is determined by the number of pins knocked down in all 10 frames, as well as the number of strikes and spares acquired.
Odd-numbered variants are one player games, while two players alternate on frames in even-numbered games.
- Games 1/2: The bowling ball can be moved in one direction after being thrown.
- Games 3/4: The bowling ball can be moved up and down after being thrown.
- Games 5/6: The ball moves straight and cannot be moved.
Development
Bowling was designed by Larry Kaplan. It was his final game for Atari, Inc. before leaving the company to co-found Activision.
Prior to the release of Bowling other games around the sport were released for home consoles such as Bowling (1978) for Fairchild Channel F (1978), Bowling/Basketball (1978) for Magnavox Odyssey 2 and APF's Bowling (1978). While the Fairchild Channel F game allowed the players to curve the ball, Kaplan's game allowed the players to not just influence the trajectory of the ball, but also position and control the on-screen figure of a bowler who swung their arm and launched the ball down the lane.
Reception
Bowling was reviewed by Video magazine in its "Arcade Alley" column where it was praised as "an enjoyable version of a sport that is perfectly suited to the video arcade format". The reviewers singled out the graphics (including the automatic frame-by-frame scoring and "deft" character animation) as "one of the game's best points". In Creative Computing, David H. Ahl complimented Bowling saying the sound effects made it a lively game.
Bowling was added to the Atari 50 (2022) compilation release in 2023.
See also
References
- "Bowling (Registration Number PA0000174632)". United States Copyright Office. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
- Digital Eclipse.
- Saucier 2023. sfn error: no target: CITEREFSaucier2023 (help)
- Kunkel & Laney 1980, p. 18.
- Kunkel & Laney 1980, p. 76.
- Ahl 1979, p. 38.
- Bonthuys 2023.
Sources
- Digital Eclipse (December 5, 2023). Atari 50 (Nintendo Switch). Atari.
Bowling: A fan favorite from 1979 was Larry Kaplan's last VCS game for Atari before leaving the company to co-found Activision.
- Ahl, David H. (October 1979). "Atari Video Cartridges". Creative Computing. Vol. 5, no. 10. United States: Creative Computing. ISSN 0097-8140.
- Bonthuys, Darryn (December 5, 2023). "Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration Gets a Few More Forgotten Classics Today". GameSpot. Archived from the original on December 5, 2023. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
- Kunkel, Bill; Laney, Frank (April 1980). "Arcade Alley: Faster Than A Bullet - Atari's Super Game". Video. Reese Communications. ISSN 0147-8907.
External links
- Bowling at Atari Mania