Hobbies And Interests
Sports
Activision developed the only ice hockey title available for the Atari 2600, appropriately titled "Ice Hockey." The game allows players to compete against one another or against the computer. Each player gets two members on their hockey team, controlled on one controller. Each game is three minutes long. The game featured 32 shot angles. "Boxing" was another sports release by Activision. The one-on-one gameplay is presented in a top-down viewpoint. Players try to hit the nose of the opponent with left or right jabs. The game had one- and two-player options.
Shooting
Activision released multiple titles in the shooting genre. Carol Shaw, one of history's first female game designers, developed the 1982 release "River Raid." Travel down a river, shooting planes, choppers, ships and tanks. Or, blast through jet fighters and helicopters to protect caravans of trucks with "Chopper Command." The 1982 Activision title, created by Robert Whitehead, is a challenging game to master. It features an on-screen map and side-scrolling action. One interesting title from 1983 is called "Plaque Attack." Playing as a tube of toothpaste, you shoot hamburgers, hot dogs and other food.
Action
Platformers challenged players to dodge obstacles on their screens. David Crane is believed to have started the platformer genre of gaming with his title, "Pitfall!," the number-two best-selling Atari 2600 game of all time. Introduced in 1982, the game is a timed adventure in which the main character Pitfall Harry runs through a jungle in search of riches, while avoiding nemeses like tar pits, scorpions and crocodiles. "Kaboom!" was another title that sold more copies than Atari's "Space Invaders." "Kaboom!" had gamers catching falling explosives into buckets using their paddle controllers. Developed by Larry Kaplan in 1981, "Kaboom!" featured a nemesis dressed in prison garb who dropped bombs from the top of the screen.
Racing
"Dragster" was an ultra-short racing game released by Activision. When the game was first released, players who crossed its finish line in six seconds could send in for a patch from Activision. Competitors used the joystick to clutch, shift and rev the engine, but revving too much would blow the engine. "Grand Prix" was another racing game Activision offered. Oil slicks waited on the track during the race, making the game play challenging. The racing game "Enduro" featured "day-long" game play, with changing weather conditions. Players raced in the fog, in the snow, in the daylight and at night.