Atari Coin Connection

VOLUME 5 NUMBER 5
SEPTEMBER 1981
The ATARI® World Championships:
and Running with
the CentipedeM Stampede
he ATARI World Champion-
ships are only a little over a
month away, and the qualify-
ing tournaments going on right
now are really hot. Over 500 ATARI
$50,000.00 World Championships
Tournament Kits had been sent to
operators around the U.S. by the
second week in August. By the
middle of September over 1100
Kits wi ll have been distributed.
Included in the Kit are instructions on
how to run a qualifying tournament consist-
ing of five separate days or weeks of com-
petition, 5 special Free Entry Certificates
which entitle the holders to enter the World
Championships in Chicago without paying
the regular $60.00 entry fee, and other in-
formation about the Tournament.
Now that Centipede has been chosen as
the official game for the World Champion-
ship, players have really been lining up to
play the game. There has already been a
High Score logged in by ATARl 's Marketing
Services (see article in this issue of Coin
Connection), so player enthusiasm is defi-
nitely there.
Operator enthusiasm for the competition
is also strong. Bob Harvey, ATARI Coin-op
Regional Sales Manager, and Lee Peppard
of Tournament Games, Inc. have been trav-
elling to various locations around the coun-
try where local tournaments are under way.
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Laura Burgess and Linda Summers of
Marketing Services pinpoint Tournament
locations across the U.S.
Would-be Championships contestants
throng Playland in Rye, New York, to com-
pete on ATARI games.
They have reported that operators are ex-
tremely excited about the World Champion-
ships, that the response from their players
has been so positive since word of the tour-
nament has gone out that they can hardly
get to the Centipede games to empty the
cashboxes.
Mariann Layne, Manager of Marketing
Services and ATARl 's Tournament organ-
izer, commented on the enthusiasm that
the local tournaments have generated.
"We are very pleased with the response
we've received so far from operators and
players. The World Championships are the
biggest event to occur in the coin-operated
industry this year, and everyone seems to
be talking about it. Now that the local tour-
naments are under way, we are looking
ahead to the finals in Chicago and making
all the arrangements so that the Champion-
ships will run smoothly. With this much ex-
citement built up already, the energy level
at the finals should be really high."
It's not too late to run a local tournament.
If you haven't ordered an ATARI $50,000.00
World Championships Tournament Kit yet,
there are still some available from Tourna-
ment Games, Inc. Just call them toll-free at
1-800-426-8897 (in Alaska, Hawaii, Washing-
ton or Canada, call 1-206-763-1362). Make
sure to allow enough time to run five sepa-
rate competitions.
Centipede™ First UL-Approved Video Game
Underwriters Laboratories Inc.
has given its seal of approval to
ATARl's Centipede coin-operated
video game in the upright cabinet
version. UL approval means that
the game complies with most lo-
cal government regulations.
There are two steps that a
manufacturer must go through be-
fore a product receives UL ap-
proval. First, a prototype of the
product is submitted to UL for
ATARI INC.
them to check. If it meets their re- to the operator of an ATARI Centi-
quirements in the category under pede Upright that the game is
which it would be sold, then it is
certified against shock or fire ha-
"listed" by UL.
zard, that the tempered glass on
After the product has been list- the game will not shatter, and that
ed, then it must be produced
there are no inherent safety
according to UL prescribed
problems in the design or
standards. ATARI received final
manufacture of the game.
approval and began apply-
ATARI is the first video
ing the UL certification
game manufacturer to
stickers on July 10, 1981.
ATARI ® produce a UL ·approved
UL approval guarantees I'\ I J
continued on next page
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