Gotcha (video game)
| Gotcha | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Atari Inc. |
| Publisher(s) | Atari Inc. |
| Platform(s) | Arcade |
| Release date(s) | 1973 |
| Genre(s) | Maze |
| Mode(s) | Two player |
| Cabinet | Upright |
| Display | Raster, standard resolution |
Gotcha is a 1973 arcade game manufactured by Atari Inc.. It was Atari's fourth game after Pong, Space Race, and Pong Doubles. It is a two-player maze game where the objective is to catch the other player. A maze is displayed on the screen. The first player controls the Pursuer which is represented by a square and the second player controls the Pursued which is represented by a plus sign. As the Pursuer moves closer and closer to the Pursued, an electronic beep sound increases in frequency to a feverish pitch until the Pursuer catches the Pursued. Each time, the Pursuer catches the Pursued, a point is scored and the chase starts over again.
Controversy
This was the first maze arcade game, as well as the very first video game to cause a considerable amount of controversy, predating other early examples such as Death Race by several years. It was controversial due to the controls being perceived as pink rubber bulges that were meant to represent breasts and were squeezed in order to control the action.[1] This was done because some members of Atari jokingly mentioned that joysticks curiously resembled a phallus. As a result, it was decided to create a "female game" and this game was henceforth referred to as "the boob game" by company staff. The controls of later versions of the cabinet were however replaced with standard joysticks.
References
- ↑ "Gotcha Description". arcade-museum.com. Retrieved 22 Nov 2014.
External links
- Game Over by David Sheff, 1993, Random House.
- Gotcha at the Killer List of Videogames
- Icons episode titled "The ESRB", 2004.