August 1983

Dragon's Lair takes arcades by storm, Commodore rules the computer roost & Video game makers pivot to micros 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 August 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/ and order his book here: https://www.theycreateworlds.com/book Get us on your mobile device: Android:  https://www.google.com/podcasts?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly92aWRlb2dhbWVuZXdzcm9vbXRpbWVtYWNoaW5lLmxpYnN5bi5jb20vcnNz iOS:      https://podcasts.apple.com/de/podcast/video-game-newsroom-time-machine And if you like what we are doing here at the podcast, don't forget to like us on your podcasting app of choice, YouTube, and/or support us on patreon! https://www.patreon.com/VGNRTM Send comments on Mastodon @[email protected] Or twitter @videogamenewsr2 Or Instagram https://www.instagram.com/vgnrtm Or [email protected] Links: 7 Minutes in Heaven: Decathlon     Video Version:  https://www.patreon.com/posts/7-minutes-in-89553431     https://www.mobygames.com/game/11537/the-activision-decathlon/     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcHeXlhxeX4      Corrections:     July 1983 Ep - https://www.patreon.com/posts/july-1983-87998862     Ethan's fine site The History of How We Play: https://thehistoryofhowweplay.wordpress.com/     https://youtu.be/A-6AKe2pvsQ?si=Y86cYPldukmG2V-H     The Video Game Crash 40th Anniversary - Part 1: Atari https://www.patreon.com/posts/video-game-crash-75643983 1973     Atari moves into new facilities     https://archive.org/details/cashbox35unse_5/page/n49/mode/1up?view=theater     https://archive.org/details/cashbox35unse_7/page/47/mode/1up Atari announces new cabinet for Space Race         https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Race_(video_game)     https://www.old-computers.com/museum/software_detail.asp?id=464 Are pongs slowing down?     https://archive.org/details/cashbox35unse_7/page/48/mode/1up     https://archive.org/details/cashbox35unse_8/page/47/mode/1up        https://archive.org/details/cashbox35unse_8/page/48/mode/1up     https://archive.org/details/cashbox35unse_8/page/47/mode/1up 1983 Dragon's Lair gives arcades hope     https://www.newspapers.com/article/santa-cruz-sentinel-laserdisc-games-prof/85528743/        https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-charlotte-observer-dragons-lair-in/86477004/        https://www.nytimes.com/1983/08/02/arts/hollywood-playing-harder-at-the-video-game.html       Replay August 1983 pg. 10     Replay August 1983, pg. 54          Sega sells manufacturing to Bally     https://www.nytimes.com/1983/08/28/business/barry-diller-s-latest-starring-role.html        https://www.nytimes.com/1983/08/30/business/advertisingn-r-kleinfield-computers-take-aim-at-schools.html    Bally To Buy Sega's U.S. Coin-Op Game Assets      The Associated Press, August 25, 1983, Thursday, AM cycle          PR Newswire, August 25, 1983, Thursday     PR Newswire, August 11, 1983, Thursday     Gregory Fischbach Part 2 - Acclaim https://www.patreon.com/posts/47720122 Coinop returns to its roots     Games People August 6, 1983 pg. 1 Off duty cops patrolling arcades     Replay August 1983, pg.  81      Mattel lays off 400 in Electronics     https://www.nytimes.com/1983/08/05/business/mattel-to-lay-off-400-in-electronics-division.html     Don Daglow Part 1 - PDP - Mattel - Intellivision - EA  https://www.patreon.com/posts/38445119 Amiga buys US Games titles     https://archive.org/details/computer-entertainer-2-5/page/68/mode/1up        http://www.atariprotos.com/2600/software/powerarcade/powerarcade.htm Telesys anounces budget games     https://archive.org/details/logical_gamer_aug83/page/5/mode/1up         https://www.mobygames.com/company/4847/telesys/ Mythicon introduces budget 2600 line     https://archive.org/details/computer-entertainer-2-5/page/72/mode/1up?view=theater         https://www.mobygames.com/company/4823/mythicon-inc/ Gammation to support Supercharger     https://archive.org/details/logical_gamer_aug83/page/5/mode/1up         https://www.mobygames.com/company/11203/gammation/ Game cancellations mount     https://archive.org/details/computer-entertainer-2-5/page/68/mode/1up Milton Bradley sues Atari over voice unit cancellation     Electronic Games Hotline August 28, 1983 pg. 1 Suncom brings physical fitness to the VCS     Toy and Hobby World July/August 1983 S31         https://picclick.fr/RARE-AEROBICS-JOYSTICK-exercise-bike-385448488962.html        http://www.atarihq.com/museum/2678/hardware/aerobics.html Atari moves to TSX     With Multiuser Operating System; Atari Resolves PRogrammer/System Dilemma, Computerworld, August 15, 1983 Bring on the celeb endorsements     Toy and Hobby World July/August 1983 S11 C64 hits $199     Playthings August 1983  Commodore reigns supreme in the home computer wars... for now     https://www.nytimes.com/1983/08/01/business/two-standouts-in-electronics.html TI changes the color of the 994A     Toy and Hobby World July/August 1983 S7     https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TI-99/4A 99/2 is dead...     https://archive.org/details/eu_BYTE-1983-08_OCR/page/n9/mode/1up     https://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=267     https://www.old-computers.com/MUSEUM/computer.asp?c=268&st=1 Adam price announcements deceptive     https://archive.org/details/computer-entertainer-2-5/page/68/mode/1up        Toy and Hobby World July/August 1983 S12     Electronic Games Hotline August 14, 1983 pg. 1 Adam prototypes are no shows     https://www.nytimes.com/1983/08/01/business/coleco-strong-in-marketing.html     https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coleco_Adam Romox to bring software teledelivery to MSX     Software Teledelivery is planned, The Japan Economic Journal, August 2, 1983 MSX licensing fees come under fire     https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MSX#Manufacturers       https://archive.org/details/PersonalComputerNews/PersonalComputerNews023-17Aug1983/page/n5/mode/1up JVC brings laser disc games to MSX     https://www.msx.org/wiki/Victor_HC-7        JVC To Produce Personal Computer, Copyright 1983 Jiji Press Ltd.Jiji Press Ticker Service AUGUST 31, 1983, WEDNESDAY        https://youtu.be/ShDiFJFoXSg?si=UY6QM_kM_i5JABlX Japan moves to protect against software rentals     Consent of copyright holders should be won for renting, The Japan Economic Journal, August 2, 1983 Timex reveals TS2000 details     https://archive.org/details/PersonalComputerNews/PersonalComputerNews021-03Aug1983/page/n3/mode/2up        https://archive.org/details/PersonalComputerNews/PersonalComputerNews025-31Aug1983/page/n6/mode/1up     https://archive.org/details/PersonalComputerNews/PersonalComputerNews023-17Aug1983/page/n36/mode/1up        https://archive.org/details/PersonalComputerNews/PersonalComputerNews025-31Aug1983/page/n43/mode/1up Osborne cuts jobs, closes factory     https://vgpavilion.com/mags/1983/08/28egh/pages/19830828egh.pdf IBM announces plans to sell Concurrent CPM     https://archive.org/details/eu_BYTE-1983-08_OCR/page/n9/mode/1up     Japanese version of CP/M-86 is introduced, The Japan Economic Journal, August 2, 1983   Creative Computing begins publishing price list          Commodore sues former employees and Atari over VCS add-on     https://www.ataricompendium.com/faq/bagnall_vcs_keyboard.pdf     Toy and Hobby World July/August 1983 S7 Commodore announces 70 new software packages     https://archive.org/details/eu_BYTE-1983-08_OCR/page/n9/mode/1up Infocom unleashes Z Machine     Electronic Games Hotline August 14, 1983 pg. 2 Activision lands on home computers     Electronic Games Hotline August 14, 1983 pg. 7 Epyx announces outside studio     Toy and Hobby World July/August 1983 S12 Spectrum Games renamed Ocean     https://archive.org/details/PersonalComputerNews/PersonalComputerNews022-10Aug1983/page/n12/mode/1up Sony teams up with Data East     Sony ties up with Data East in MSX software development, The Japan Economic Journal, August 2, 1983 Stellar 7 debuts     https://vgpavilion.com/mags/1983/08/28egh/pages/19830828egh.pdf  pg. 7 Park Brothers goes big on ads     https://vgpavilion.com/mags/1983/08/28egh/pages/19830828egh.pdf   pg. 8 Jon Shirley becomes Microsoft prez     https://archive.org/details/eu_BYTE-1983-08_OCR/page/n9/mode/1up      Games Network hits the stock market     https://www.nytimes.com/1983/08/24/business/briefs-119250.html?searchResultPosition=1     https://archive.org/details/logical_gamer_aug83/page/6/mode/1up     https://archive.org/details/PersonalComputerNews/PersonalComputerNews025-31Aug1983/page/n8/mode/1up Softyme tests online distribution     https://archive.org/details/eu_BYTE-1983-08_OCR/page/n9/mode/1up BBS's bring out the Pirates     Gilded youth, jaded youth  , Forbes, August 15, 1983     The "On-Line" Society, Computerworld, August 17, 1983 Microcom licenses MNP     https://archive.org/details/eu_BYTE-1983-08_OCR/page/n9/mode/1up      Softwareland wants standardized UPCs     https://vgpavilion.com/mags/1983/08/28egh/pages/19830828egh.pdf  pg. 4     https://books.google.de/books?id=baj-kGvs1L0C&pg=RA1-PA76&lpg=RA1-PA76&dq=%22softwareland%22+retail+store+taylor+coleman&source=bl&ots=QngUR-drNu&sig=ACfU3U1Iz9L7kenfh8SwIYdbRq9IGafJgw&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiwurn2iaWBAxUd_rsIHXI1CaQQ6AF6BAgLEAM#v=onepage&q=%22softwareland%22%20retail%20store%20taylor%20coleman&f=false      UK leads in computer adoption     Commodore News Vol1 Num3 1983 Gamer begins to enter the vernacular     https://vgpavilion.com/mags/1983/08/28egh/pages/19830828egh.pdf  pg. 2 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