"Le travels": please discard the instructions

is not all the game has no manual, I dare not assert. But at least I played the game, seemingly did not see the manual, and some games at most only "Raiders". However, Bushnell the game machine really configured a simple manual, after all, in that era, the use of electronic products is also a learning technology, no manual does not work, the instructions are too complex. You know, at the start of the 1971, Bushnell used to assemble a cheap part of the "Computer Universe" of the game machine, can be a full sheet of paper, and the rules of the game is very troublesome, so few people are willing to struggle to read the instructions to play the game, the results of 1500 game consoles, one also did not sell.

But Atari's street-game machine, Pong, after being transformed into a home console, to the instructions to bring a very interesting "accident", in the TV screen is not too durable at that time, because the players are too addicted to the game, to their own body to bring the lumbar disc protrusion, but also to the television caused damage. In fact, this kind of damage exists now, that is, a relatively static screen (such as the background of table tennis match) fixed on the screen for a long time, will be on the screen to form a burning and leave indelible imprint, so the follow-up instructions also specifically with the "do not play too long" warning words. Addiction addicted to the basic symptoms appear, and more importantly, a daily we will inevitably touch on the computer to the basic settings are born. Now, do you still think that screensavers are just an eye-candy show at halftime?

Go back to the topic of "Lose the Manual". Also said before, Atari beat Odyssey, precisely lies in its game set uphold a principle: do not bother the brain. This is also the basic difference between the businessman's mind and the programmer's mind. Almost all successful games use this principle. But this does not reduce the difficulty of the game, but the use of "easy to learn difficult" design method. Try to think back to the great King Kong, Super Mario, Tetris, the classic game of the last century, it is easy to understand.

In basically can only use lines and dots to show the game picture of the era, Atari this idea to play to the extreme. I have to mention a game called "Playing bricks," in the current mobile game, we also occasionally see its figure. The 1976 launch of the game, simple to the extreme, the player only need to manipulate a white line below the screen, catch the ball from the top down and bounce back, will screen a variety of bricks "crash" can be. The basic reason for being able to pop for nearly 40 years is simply, like a soda can.

It is said that among the staff involved in the game design, including Apple's former boss, Steve Jobs, and Apple co-founder Watts, who had just two years of seniority, did not know the feeling and touch screen that was used to make popular games. But Steve Jobs was down and out, and one of the unconfirmed rumors that he applied for Atari said: "A very strange guy came to the company and he said he wouldn't go unless we hired him." I think we could either hand him over to the police or hire him. "The Atari Company's personnel director reported to his superiors the scene of his job interview.

But fools think this may really be hearsay, because according to Bushnell's character, the entire Atari production line is full of this hippie-style young man, this is also Bushnell own idea. It is not what these people have to do to simplify the game creativity, but these people can not find a job, wages are very low. Of course, in a customer visit, for the company's image, Atari will play another simple game, so that the clothes are not the whole of these people are hidden in the box, playing "Hide-and-seek." I don't know if Steve has ever played.