Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (July 8, 1982)
KBiililil. L K \ ■ ||| if ■■ Space Invaders, Asteroids, Asteroids Deluxe, Defender, Stargate, Pac-Man, Ms. Pac-Man, Donkey-Kong, Frogger, Dig-dug These names mean nothing to some people To others they mean 30 seconds of frustration and an "End of Game” sign But to millions of others they mean a kind of euphoria. Video games can be found just about everywhere; stores, restaurants, bars A few quarters wasted on a defective game in a poorly lit arcade can make most people wonder what all the fuss is about. In the Eugene-Springfield area there are five video arcades offering machines that work well, subdued lighting, air conditioning and music. Each arcade has a different system of payment, ranging from quarters and tokens, to fees based on the length of playing time "For the beginner paying for time is best" says Bill Darland, owner of Take 5 video centers ."But an expert should stick to the quarter ma chines " Choice of the game to play can present quite a problem. There are battle games and chase games from which to choose , "The reason video games are so popular now is that they're less threatening,” writes Michael Planchet, in his book "How to Beat the Video Games ” Several books on how to play the video games have appeared in recent months Two of the best are "How to Master Video Games" and "The Winners Book of Video Games.” Most beginners will want to start with a simple game "The reasons a lot of people like Pac-Man and Donkey-Kong," says Chris Williams, an em ployee at Charlies, "is that they’re simple, and people like the characters.” The main idea, though, is to find a game you like Here are some of the more popular ones ASTEROIDS Description: You control a spaceship with a thrust button, two directional controls and a fire button. Asteroids appear on the screen and you must destroy them Points are awarded for the asteroids and spaceships that appear as the game goes on The hyperspace button will move your ship to a new position on the screen, but use it sparingly Sometimes you explode Game strategy "The game has a certain amount of simplicity and challenge matched by no other game," Craig Kubey writes in "The Winners Book of Video Games." Learn how to use the thrust button well This enables you to dodge both asteroids and bullets Destroy the four asteroids in the first screen, then all but one slow moving asteroid in the second screen Position the ship in one corner of the screen and as the little saucers appear, zip across the screen and blast them as you go by. Extra ships are awarded every 10,000 points. QALAXIANS Description: Your ship is positioned at the bottom of the screen and there is an attacking fleet above you There are directional controls and a fire button Only one shot can be on the screen at a time Game strategy At ever increasing numbers the fleet will break away and dive, firing bombs a» they come The best method is to strafe the formation before they begin their bombing runs If they miss with their bombs, they will continue past and reassume their position in the formation Sometimes three ships drop together, and if you hit ail three you receive 800 points When there are only three or four ships remaining fror., the original formation they will stop their straight runs and start hovering and weaving above you. The best trick is to try and destroy them as fast as possible FROGGER Description: You control a frog with a directional lever Push the lever the way you want the frog to go You must cross three lanes of a freeway and a river to dock your frog Points are awarded for docking Game strategy: "This game is cute and sim ple enough to appeal to people who don’t play videogames,” Kubey says When the game starts, the cars, logs, and turtles move slowly. This is the best time to get extra points by capturing the female frog This is done by landing on the same log she is on Avoid the line of turtles — some sink The frog doesn’t swim As the game goes on the cars move faster and snakes and alligators ap pear The frog may ride on the alligator, but the snakes will eat him PAC-MAN Description: You control a little yellow ball with a voracious appetite The only control is a directional lever Points are awarded for eating the little dots, monsters and fruit. Game strategy: Said one player, “I don’t play video games very often, and the thing I like about Pac-Man is that even if I don’t play well I get some time for my quarter." The machine follows definite patterns. There are books on the market that describe the patterns The best way, though, is to watch someone who is a good player There is a power node that is located in each corner of the maze. Once your Pac-Man eats it he is able to eat the monsters Points are received for each mon ster eaten. When you have eaten all the dots in the maze the game will move on to the next maze DONKEY-KONG Description: You control a man with a direc tional lever and a jump button Donkey-Kong is on top of a series of different mazes with Fay Wray You must save her Game strategy: "The key to Donkey-Kong is timing and the only way to develop timing is to practice,” writes Planchet in his book Points are awarded for jumping over barrels, fire balls, and hot pies Failure to do so results in loss of life Bonus points are given for making it to the top of the maze as quickly as possible There are two hammers located in each maze, and if the man grabs the hammer he will be able to destroy the barrels, pies and fire bails He oniy has the hammer for a few seconds, then it vanishes On the first few mazes the player loses points by using the hammer In later rounds have the man pick up the second hammer and use it right before he climbs to the top The man can neither climb nor jump while he has the hammer, so be careful Here Is a listing of Eugene's video arcades: Halley’s Comet 880 E 13th Tokens and Quarters SPECIALS:Six tokens for a dollar, red token wins 10 tokens, white wins five Charlie's Pool Hall 257 Willamette Quarters, Tokens, $5 will buy 30 tokens Take 5 Video Centers 25 E 11th and 325 Oakway $3 for an hour of play, $2 for a half hour. $1 for 20 minutes Photo by Mark Pynes You control a little yellow ball with a voracious appetite. The only control is a directional lever Points are awardedfor eating the little dotsy monsters andfruit Games R Fun Eugene Downtown Mall Tokens University Rec Center EMU campus Quarters Story by Frank Shaw Photo by Mark Pynes
