Growing Up Arcade Story

Torin

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So, I thought I'd share my little story here that you might or might not find interesting.

I grew up in Palo Alto, California back in the arcade boom days. I was around 8 yrs old and obsessed with arcade games. At that time, my mom played in a Bay Area symphony and had a close friend named Vivian who played in it too.

One night, we were invited over to Vivian's home for dinner. When I walked in, I almost shit my pants because there in the living room was a full sized Battlezone. She then introduced us to her husband Ed Rotberg, Atari programmer. I spent the entire evening playing Battlezone that was, for some reason, set to display in the German language. Needless to say, I had a great time and remember it fondly.

I have now done a little research on Ed Rotberg and have become familiar with his various arcade creations and his career. I wish I knew then what I know now and could have been more into the production aspect of things but an 8 year old just wants to play the damn game! I look back fondly and am happy to have had this unique experience.

BTW, Ed not only programmed really good games, he also made a mean Chicken Cordon Bleu.


Torin
 
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