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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 12, 1982)
Video game propreitors worry that a spate of video game books will decrea&s their revenues. Books assist video buffs NEW YORK (AP) - There's trouble in Video Game City — code books Memorize the manual and you'll get hours of playing time for just one quarter More and more video buffs have been exchanging tech niques for pattern playing, sending arcade owners, who grossed an estimated $5 bil lion last year, to the edge of financial hyperspace Now the owners face a new problem — a growing number of best-selling paperbacks by video game wizards that serve as how-to manuals Of course it's going to hurt business," says Irving Tauve, co-owner of Man chester Music, a New Hamp shire company that owns about 700 video games "The longer a person plays on a quarter the less quarters I get " There are at least five paperbacks on the market: Signet’s Mastering Pac Man" by blackjack expert Ken Uston, Bantam's "How To Master the Video Games;" Pocket Books's "How To Win At Pac-Man;” Simon & Schuster's How To Beat the Video Games;'' and Warner Books Scoring Big at Pac-Man." The books range in price from $1 95 to $3 95 “Theoretically, you could have a user's manual for each of these games,' Uston says The original press run on Uston's book was 500,000, and according to Signet spokeswoman Fern Leiber Edison, store orders before the book was released required printing of another 250,000 copies After two weeks in bookstores, Uston's book has climbed to No 5 on B Dalton's mass-market best seller list Pac-Man has received so much literary attention because it lends itself to more thorough analysis than attack and reflex games Uston says maze games like Pac-Man require "the most skill, about 90 percent, and only 10 percent hand-and eye coordination " Attack games range from 90 per cent hand-and-eye coordin ation to 50-50, he adds Uston turned his attention to Pac-Man while awaiting the outcome of court appeals on his banishment from ca sinos in Atlantic City He is an expert blackjack 'counter'' who can calculate the chances of a high or low card turning up after several decks of cards have been played Uston's book is the most elaborate on Pac-Man, still one of the most popular of all arcade games "The manufacturers are so worried that everyone's go ing to master these games.” says Uston, during an inter view conducted over a Pac Man board at a Broadway arcade But look, I just messed up," he exclaims as his Pac Man is caught by a pursuing monster Uston, who is writing a second book on arcade games, doesn't consider himself an expert at playing, just at analyzing At a recent arcade party held to promote Coleco's new line of porta ble, self-contained games, including Pac-Man, Uston brought along Raymond Chan, a 20-year-old college student from San Francisco Uston asked Chan to help him with his book research after he saw Chan walk away bored from a Pac-Man after racking up 1.4 million points without a single mishap Chan thinks the pattern books make arcade playing more fun and interesting Amu Cultural Forum Presents Sty “Band /lMjtwtute'e *Dcutce oudtti *76e SfanCtyfaeM, Sat. '?&&. 13 emu faUlnaam, "Dance, 9-micUuqAt Sty 6a*td dance teteamt %-9 «dt& PCoh /UcOucA ICO AmoCmC “PtofrAWl “Dmu /1U afaaluteJty pied PRECISION HAIRWORKS 29th & Willamette (behind Patty’s Pizza) BRING YOUR VALENTINE TO DINNER! For an intimate pizza for two or a seven-course Classic Italian meal Then join us in the lounge for Live jazz with: Andre’s St James Trio ♦ 8:30-1:00 f I AV*K II Al«A\ tl'IMM 259 East 5th Avenue (Inside the Granary Bldg.) V 343-8488 ^ Valentines Day is for lovers... So is Planned Parenthood. we offer confidential, professional health care for women and men. All birth control methods and supplies at low cost: pill, diaphragm, I.U.D., foam, diaphragm jelly, Encare, condoms, basal body thermometers • Pregnancy tests • Yearly gynecological exams • • Treatment for vaginal or bladder infections • Breast exams • Pap smear • Test for anemia and diabetes • Blood pressure check • Venereal disease test and treatment Counseling and referrals on adoption, abortion, birth control, sterilization, infertility you can visit us at 134 E. 13th (near campus) or call us with your questions: 344-9411 or 344-1611 A United Way Agency
