Gotcha (arcade game)

Infobox VG
title = Gotcha


developer = Atari Inc.
publisher = Atari Inc.
designer =
release = 1973
genre = Maze
modes = Two player
cabinet = Upright
arcade system =
display = Raster, standard resolution
input = Joystick
platforms = Arcade

"Gotcha" is a 1973 arcade game manufactured by Atari Inc.. It was Atari's fourth game after "Pong", "Space Race", and "Pong Doubles". 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. The object of the game is for two players to find their way through an on-screen maze, attempting to catch each other. The controversy stemmed from the perception that the game's controls, rather than joysticks, were pink rubber bulges meant to represent breasts. The bulges were squeezed in order to control the action. 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 game as "the boob game" by company staff. Later versions of the cabinet replaced the controls with standard joysticks. The game was not well received by the public.

References / External links

* "Game Over" by David Sheff, 1993, Random House.
*KLOV game|id=7985|name=Gotcha
* Icons episode titled "The ESRB", 2004.