November 1982

November 1982

Author: Karl Kuras December 15, 2022 Duration: 4:05:24

Coinop income plummets
Wall Street short sellers smell blood
Vic20 sales hit a million

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

Jeff from the Retro Games Squad is our cohost. You can find his other fine retrogaming work here:
https://retrogamesquad.libsyn.com/

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Links:
7 Minutes in Heaven: Mr. Do!
Video Version: https://www.patreon.com/posts/75945252
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mr._Do!
https://www.mobygames.com/game-group/mr-do-series
https://www.mobygames.com/game/arcade/neo-mr-do/screenshots/gameShotId,101836/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_Entertainment

Corrections:
October 1992 Ep - https://www.patreon.com/posts/october-1982-74293357

1962
ENIAC co-designer predicts smartphones
https://www.nytimes.com/1962/11/03/archives/pocket-computer-may-replace-shopping-list-inventor-says-device.html?searchResultPosition=9
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Mauchly

Honewell shows off remote real time computer interface
https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1962/11/28/82771993.html?pageNumber=57
http://archive.boston.com/news/globe/obituaries/articles/2003/12/14/joseph_j_eachus_1st_in_us_to_help_break_german_codes/
https://cryptologicfoundation.org/community/commemorate/in-memoriam-registry-honoree-pages/dr-joseph-j-and-barbara-eachus.html

1972
Supreme Court rules software can't be patented
https://www.nytimes.com/1972/11/21/archives/high-court-denies-computer-patent-for-programing-60-ruling-is-a.html?searchResultPosition=5
https://www.dwt.com/blogs/startup-law-blog/2020/11/how-to-patent-software

IBM uses games to teach politicians and business men to be bastards
https://www.nytimes.com/1972/11/20/archives/computer-games-giving-insights-into-city-affairs.html?searchResultPosition=7

Nutting gives award to top distrib
https://archive.org/details/cashbox34unse_18/page/n54/mode/1up
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22JsjlG_urM

1982
Arcade industry financials split
https://archive.org/details/cashbox44unse_21/page/35/mode/1up
https://archive.org/details/cashbox44unse_22/page/35/mode/1up?view=theater

Coinop income per game plummets
https://archive.org/details/cashbox44unse_23/page/49/mode/1up
https://archive.org/details/cashbox44unse_23/page/50/mode/1up?view=theater
https://archive.org/details/cashbox44unse_23/page/53/mode/1up?view=theater
Jim Trucano - AMOA https://www.patreon.com/posts/48912975

Bally holds Pacman licensees conference
Replay November 1982 pg. 28
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pac-Man
https://www.mobygames.com/game-group/pac-man-games-licensed

Bally advertises Pacman enhancement kit
https://archive.org/details/cashbox44unse_23/page/n66/mode/1up?view=theater
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pac-Man_Plus

Bowling alleys second guess video
Replay November 1982, pg. 60

Atari Video Adventure opens
RePlay November 1982, pg. 21
https://mcurrent.name/atarihistory/video-adventure-photo.jpg
https://2warpstoneptune.com/2013/11/12/atari-video-adventure-1982-1990/
https://web.archive.org/web/20200812035512/http://www.atarimuseum.com/otherprojects/atariadventure/atariadventure.html

Sega/Gremlin becomes Sega Electronics Inc
https://archive.org/details/cashbox44unse_23/page/66/mode/1up?view=theater
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gremlin_Industries
http://podcast.theycreateworlds.com/e/the-untold-history-of-sega/

KId Stuff record company parent to get into games
Toy and Hobby World November 1982 pg. 51
https://www.mobygames.com/company/ije-inc
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GameTek

Tandy launches the Tandyvision One
https://archive.org/details/arcade_express_v1n7/page/n1/mode/1up
https://artsandculture.google.com/asset/video-game-console-tandyvision-one-console-tandy-corp/pgFyg8mEfn1Iqg?hl=en
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intellivision

Ultravision Video Arcade System does it all!
https://ia902506.us.archive.org/29/items/computer-entertainer-video-game-update_202205/1982-11%20The%20Video%20Game%20Update.pdf
https://www.videogameconsolelibrary.com/pg80-ultravision.htm#page=reviews
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultravision_Video_Arcade_System
https://www.mobygames.com/company/ultravision-inc

Colecovision gets modulated
https://archive.org/details/joystik_magazine-1982-11/page/n5/mode/1up?view=theater
http://www.colecovisionzone.com/page/accessory/accessory.html
https://archive.org/details/arcade_express_v1n8/page/n1/mode/1up
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coleco_Telstar_Arcade
https://www.mobygames.com/game/turbo
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coleco_Adam

Atari announces revamped sports game lineup
https://archive.org/details/joystik_magazine-1982-11/page/n6/mode/1up?view=theater
https://www.mobygames.com/game/atari-2600/realsports-baseball
https://www.mobygames.com/game/realsports-volleyball
https://www.mobygames.com/game/atari-2600/realsports-baseball/screenshots/gameShotId,41355/
https://www.mobygames.com/game/c64/double-dragon/screenshots/gameShotId,41188/

Rebates on games abound!
Playthings November 1982 pg. 17, 22,
https://archive.org/details/arcade_express_v1n8/page/n1/mode/1up

Activision wants to fill your Gaping Holes
Playthings November 1982
https://forums.atariage.com/topic/215481-activision-no-gaping-hole-ad/

Toy vendors worried about software lifecycle
Toy and Hobby World November 1982 pg. 51

GameLine sends VCS games over the phone
https://archive.org/details/arcade_express_v1n8/mode/1up
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_von_Meister
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AOL

Shortsellers go after Warner
https://www.nytimes.com/1982/11/23/business/short-interest-on-big-board-off-1.7-million-shares.html?searchResultPosition=16

Imagic eyes IPO
https://www.nytimes.com/1982/11/22/business/imagic-scores-in-video-games.html?searchResultPosition=3

Atari sues Imagic
https://www.nytimes.com/1982/11/30/business/atari-sues-imagic-on-copyright-issue.html?searchResultPosition=4

Atari stops Commodore joysticks
https://www.nytimes.com/1982/11/09/business/atari-gains-in-patent-case.html?searchResultPosition=11
https://www.reddit.com/r/vic20/comments/axb20b
https://8bitrechner.wordpress.com/2018/10/14/vic-20-joy-stick/

Video Wizards enchants the Vic
Toy and Hobby World November 1982

Vic20 hits a million
https://archive.org/details/popular-computing-weekly-1982-11-11/page/n4/mode/1up?view=theater
Toy and Hobby World pg. 58
https://archive.org/details/popular-computing-weekly-1982-11-25/page/n4/mode/1up

TI rebate to reduce inventory
https://archive.org/details/byte-magazine-1982-11/page/n567/mode/1up

Atari gives away memory expansion

Panasonic announces home computer
https://archive.org/details/arcade_express_v1n7/page/n2/mode/1up
https://web.archive.org/web/20101121111936/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=324

Sharp enters low cost micro market
https://archive.org/details/popular-computing-weekly-1982-11-18/page/n4/mode/1up?view=theater
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharp_MZ

DEC enters microcomputer market
https://archive.org/details/CreativeComputing1982-11/page/n11/mode/1up?view=theater
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rainbow_100

Apple readies Lisa and macintosh
https://archive.org/details/arcade_express_v1n7/page/n1/mode/1up
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Lisa
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_III
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mac_(computer)

FTC drops Apple investigation
https://archive.org/details/byte-magazine-1982-11/page/n566/mode/1up
https://archive.org/details/arcade_express_v1n8/page/n3/mode/1up

Oric One on its way
https://archive.org/details/sinclair-user-magazine-008/page/n10/mode/1up?view=theater
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oric

ZX81 sales soar after price cut
https://archive.org/details/sinclair-user-magazine-008/page/n10/mode/1up?view=theater
https://archive.org/details/popular-computing-weekly-1982-11-04/page/n2/mode/1up?view=theater
https://archive.org/details/popular-computing-weekly-1982-11-25/page/n4/mode/1up

Z80s are hot
https://archive.org/details/byte-magazine-1982-11/page/n566/mode/1up
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zilog_Z80
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zilog

Speccy shunned by educators
https://archive.org/details/popular-computing-weekly-1982-11-04/mode/1up?view=theater
https://archive.org/details/popular-computing-weekly-1982-11-04/page/n4/mode/1up?view=theater
Micromen - https://youtu.be/XXBxV6-zamM

Sinclair to launch Spectrum joystick
https://archive.org/details/popular-computing-weekly-1982-11-18/page/n4/mode/1up?view=theater

Melbourne House cuts deal with Tolkien
https://archive.org/details/popular-computing-weekly-1982-11-11/page/n4/mode/1up?view=theater
https://www.mobygames.com/game/hobbit

Mike Singleton wants to make you a Starlord
https://archive.org/details/popular-computing-weekly-1982-11-25/page/n10/mode/1up
https://www.mobygames.com/game/starlord
https://archive.org/details/Computer_Video_Games_Issue_013_1982-11_EMAP_Publishing_GB/page/n97/mode/1up
https://www.mobygames.com/developer/sheet/view/developerId,17924/
Shadowfax video - https://youtu.be/uIQsoAPUfSA

Software Peguin wants you to fight piracy
https://archive.org/details/softalkv3n03nov1982/page/10/mode/1up?view=theater
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIQsoAPUfSA

Snoopy targets Creative Computing
https://www.nytimes.com/1982/11/08/business/video-snoopy-draws-lawsuit.html?searchResultPosition=1
https://archive.org/details/CreativeComputingbetterScan197906/page/n59/mode/1up?q=snoopy
http://gb64.com/game.php?id=6979&d=18&h=0

Pinball Construction Set previewed
https://archive.org/details/Softline_1982_11/page/n9/mode/1up?view=theater

Export ban placed on chess computer
https://archive.org/details/byte-magazine-1982-11/page/n572/mode/1up
RECHENWERK computer museum - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHWvhaiq2D8

Time highlights the PacMen
https://content.time.com/time/covers/0,16641,19821025,00.html
Replay November 1982 pg. 176

Action figures make a comeback
Playthings November 1982

Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy premieres on US TV
https://www.nytimes.com/1982/11/04/arts/tv-british-comedy-a-galactic-hitchhike.html?searchResultPosition=20
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0081874/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk

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

Find out on the VGNRTM

 

 


Ever wonder what gamers were actually talking about decades ago, before online forums and endless hot takes? Each month, Video Game Newsroom Time Machine hosted by Karl Kuras does exactly that, dusting off the headlines and magazine pages from the past. This isn't just a nostalgia trip; it's a grounded look at the industry's turning points as they happened. You'll hear about the surprising announcements, the forgotten controversies, and the hardware launches that had everyone buzzing-from arcade trends in Japan to home computer wars in Europe and North America. The podcast specifically revisits news from exactly 30, 40, and 50 years prior, creating a unique layered perspective on how video game culture evolved. It’s like sitting in a newsroom from a different era, piecing together the stories that shaped the games we remember today. Tune in for a monthly dose of context, where the past conversations about pixels and processors feel surprisingly fresh and directly connected to the present.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Video Game Newsroom Time Machine
Podcast Episodes
Gary Bracey - Part 1 - Ocean [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:28:52
For computer gamers in the 1980s and 90s, few companies were more ever-present than Ocean, a powerhouse in publishing, through their massive ad campaigns and amazing film licenses and coin-op conversions. Our guest today…
Phil Adam - Spectrum Holobyte, SPA, Interplay, Amico [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 3:54:06
Phil Adam's career has spanned more than 40 years, from pioneering work marketing titles for Spectrum Holobyte, playing a pivotal role in bringing Tetris to the West, working at Interplay during the RPG renaisance and hi…
October 1994 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 4:16:04
Japan goes after arcades, Nintendo's Famicon gets its first licensee & Gamers come together online These stories and many more on this episode of the VGNRTM! This episode we will look back at the biggest stories in and a…
Tom Kalinske - Mattel, Sega, Leap Frog [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:22:28
Few events in video game history are more legendary than the Console War between Sega and Nintendo. Our guest today was one of the generals of that war, the head of Sega of America, Tom Kalinske. Tom's story is not just…
October 1984 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 3:01:46
Japan goes after arcades, Nintendo's Famicon gets its first licensee & Gamers come together online These stories and many more on this episode of the VGNRTM! This episode we will look back at the biggest stories in and a…
Richard Bartle - Part 2 - Designing Virtual Worlds [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:30:55
After spending almost 2 decades trying to make MUD a viable commercial project, Richard returns to academia after publishing his seminal book, Designing Virtual Worlds, and begins teaching and researching game worlds and…
Richard Bartle - Part 1 - MUD (Multi User Dungeon) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:12:51
While there are many founders of the video game industry writ large, the dawn of multiplayer gaming is a much more select group of luminaries and our guest today, Richard Bartle is most definitely one of them. He cocreat…
John Wood - Sally Dark Ride [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:18:26
Mechanical amusements have long been a mainstay of theme parks and travelling fairs. In the 1980s, this technology entered the realm of the arcade, most notably through Chuck E. Cheese and since then, has merged with the…
September 1994 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 4:08:22
Nintendo owns CES, The future belongs to the internet & EA disses Sega 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 industr…
Jeff Johannigman - Part 2 - Origin, Dynamix, Microprose [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:36:40
From a bedroom coder to Game Developer's Conference OG to the creator of one of the greatest one-on-one action strategy games of the 8 bit era, Jeff Johannigman worked for some of the most legendary companies of the 80s,…