Atari Coin Connection
Issue: Vol 7 Num 02 - 1983 February - Page 2
Atari Gives Santa a Helping Hand
Santa's reindeer had a heavy load to pull
this past Christmas season. In the spirit
of the holidays and the advent of the
new year, over 200 ATARI coin video
games were donated to San Francisco
Bay Area charities and other well-deserv-
ing organizations.
"We were looking for a way to put
something back into the communities
that helped give Atari its start ten years
ago, " said John S. Farrand, President of
" lo:
ri11er
Atari's Coin Video Games Division."These
gifts are our way of saying 'thanks'."
Among the organizations who received
the games are the Christmas Exchange
of Santa Clara County and the Holiday
Project, which represent such special
groups as children's hospitals, homes for
children and families in transition, and
various treatment centers for physically
and mentally handicapped individuals.
Marion Tibbits, director of the Christ-
10 =l"fia nd1e··
~
TriDP Schoot
f ro,ri:
A
,
During the preparation of the game donations, Santa and his little "Atari Kids" enjoyed their
spirited surroundings. San Francisco Bay Area charities which received Christmas gifts from
Atari include the Chandler Tripp School for orthopedically handicapped children in San Jose
(below left) and the Shriners Hospital for Crippled Children in San Francisco (below right).
If your business is always on the "go",
chances are you've learned the impor-
tance of "incentivizing" it from time to
time. We would like to beg, borrow and
steal a few of your masterly tips so we
can share them with your industry co-
horts. Please send us any case histories
of effective promotional events you've
conducted at your location . .. a few
words or a few volumes-it's all up to
you. Any photos would be enormously
welcomed at the same time. We'll spot-
light your success in an issue of the Coin
Connection. If you've a few inspirational
strategies you haven't tried yet, don't hesi-
tate to send those ideas, too.
Now-for the "big push" or "little
perk" .. . in order to "incentivize" your
writing in to us, we'll tempt you with a
specially selected gift. We know that time
is money, and the effort you expend
toward "enlightening" us will not go unre-
warded!
So let's hear from all of you out there
-here's your chance to put in your
"25¢" worth! And thanks in advance.
mas Exchange, commented on the gifts.
''These games are wonderful Christmas
presents to provide entertainment to
groups like the handicapped and under-
privileged in the Bay Area.·'
The Red Cross was also involved in the
video giveaway with games going to the
Veterans Administration in Menlo Park,
California. Uses of video games for reha-
bilitation pu rposes are being explored at
the VA Hospital. In addition, several YM-
CAs in the Bay Area received a share of
the games to help fulfill the recreational
needs of the children who visit them.
Apart from the Bay Area game distrib-
ution, 250 machines were given to the
"Magic Me" project of the Community
Foundation of the Greater Baltimore
Area in Maryland. "Magic Me" is a
group of ch ildren who regularly visit a
network of Baltimore nursing homes, giv-
ing friendship and love to the residents.
The games were placed in the convales-
cent facilities in hopes of providing an-
other socializing tool for the children and
•• •
senior citizens.
Before their distribution, all games
were set on "free play" to ensure that
they be used solely for entertainment
purposes. Atari wishes all recipients the
best in fun and games for 1983.
Here's the inside "scoop" from our Re-
gional Sales Managers as they visit loca-
tions across the nation:
• Pole Position - with its careening
profits-is proving to be very "hot" at
key street locations. The upright model
has been a phenomenal success in
C-stores when placed with one or two
other pieces. Reports indicate that this is
the first time a driving game has been so
successful in a street location.
• Centipede® earnings have imRroved
with the installation of Millipede ~ Play-
ers seem to sharpen their skills on the
former in order to prepare for the more
aggressive competition in the new game.
Millipede is doing best in large street lo-
cations, e.g., a pizza parlor with ten or
more pieces. Operators have expressed
the feeling that Millipede will have the
longevity of Centipede.
• Recent collections indicate that Quan-
tum™ may be the sleeper of the AMOA,
exh ibiting outstanding performances in
many locations. Sophisticated players
seem particularly intrigued, and women
players are also being attracted due to
the simplicity of the control panel.
• On the European scene, there are high
expectations for the success of Pop-
eye™' ' and Time Pilot™''' which are li-
censed from Nintendo and Konami, re-
spectively. The U.S. track record of these
games is encouraging.
• Most driving games appeal to teen-
agers who do not have their driver's li-
cense as of yet. Pole Position, however,
is attracting many adults as well as teen-
agers because of its realistic simulation.
··Popeye is a trademark of King Features Syndicate. The
Popeye audio-visual work is sublicensed to Atari, Inc. by
Nintendo of America Inc.
•• ·Manufactured under license from Konami.
Santa's reindeer had a heavy load to pull
this past Christmas season. In the spirit
of the holidays and the advent of the
new year, over 200 ATARI coin video
games were donated to San Francisco
Bay Area charities and other well-deserv-
ing organizations.
"We were looking for a way to put
something back into the communities
that helped give Atari its start ten years
ago, " said John S. Farrand, President of
" lo:
ri11er
Atari's Coin Video Games Division."These
gifts are our way of saying 'thanks'."
Among the organizations who received
the games are the Christmas Exchange
of Santa Clara County and the Holiday
Project, which represent such special
groups as children's hospitals, homes for
children and families in transition, and
various treatment centers for physically
and mentally handicapped individuals.
Marion Tibbits, director of the Christ-
10 =l"fia nd1e··
~
TriDP Schoot
f ro,ri:
A
,
During the preparation of the game donations, Santa and his little "Atari Kids" enjoyed their
spirited surroundings. San Francisco Bay Area charities which received Christmas gifts from
Atari include the Chandler Tripp School for orthopedically handicapped children in San Jose
(below left) and the Shriners Hospital for Crippled Children in San Francisco (below right).
If your business is always on the "go",
chances are you've learned the impor-
tance of "incentivizing" it from time to
time. We would like to beg, borrow and
steal a few of your masterly tips so we
can share them with your industry co-
horts. Please send us any case histories
of effective promotional events you've
conducted at your location . .. a few
words or a few volumes-it's all up to
you. Any photos would be enormously
welcomed at the same time. We'll spot-
light your success in an issue of the Coin
Connection. If you've a few inspirational
strategies you haven't tried yet, don't hesi-
tate to send those ideas, too.
Now-for the "big push" or "little
perk" .. . in order to "incentivize" your
writing in to us, we'll tempt you with a
specially selected gift. We know that time
is money, and the effort you expend
toward "enlightening" us will not go unre-
warded!
So let's hear from all of you out there
-here's your chance to put in your
"25¢" worth! And thanks in advance.
mas Exchange, commented on the gifts.
''These games are wonderful Christmas
presents to provide entertainment to
groups like the handicapped and under-
privileged in the Bay Area.·'
The Red Cross was also involved in the
video giveaway with games going to the
Veterans Administration in Menlo Park,
California. Uses of video games for reha-
bilitation pu rposes are being explored at
the VA Hospital. In addition, several YM-
CAs in the Bay Area received a share of
the games to help fulfill the recreational
needs of the children who visit them.
Apart from the Bay Area game distrib-
ution, 250 machines were given to the
"Magic Me" project of the Community
Foundation of the Greater Baltimore
Area in Maryland. "Magic Me" is a
group of ch ildren who regularly visit a
network of Baltimore nursing homes, giv-
ing friendship and love to the residents.
The games were placed in the convales-
cent facilities in hopes of providing an-
other socializing tool for the children and
•• •
senior citizens.
Before their distribution, all games
were set on "free play" to ensure that
they be used solely for entertainment
purposes. Atari wishes all recipients the
best in fun and games for 1983.
Here's the inside "scoop" from our Re-
gional Sales Managers as they visit loca-
tions across the nation:
• Pole Position - with its careening
profits-is proving to be very "hot" at
key street locations. The upright model
has been a phenomenal success in
C-stores when placed with one or two
other pieces. Reports indicate that this is
the first time a driving game has been so
successful in a street location.
• Centipede® earnings have imRroved
with the installation of Millipede ~ Play-
ers seem to sharpen their skills on the
former in order to prepare for the more
aggressive competition in the new game.
Millipede is doing best in large street lo-
cations, e.g., a pizza parlor with ten or
more pieces. Operators have expressed
the feeling that Millipede will have the
longevity of Centipede.
• Recent collections indicate that Quan-
tum™ may be the sleeper of the AMOA,
exh ibiting outstanding performances in
many locations. Sophisticated players
seem particularly intrigued, and women
players are also being attracted due to
the simplicity of the control panel.
• On the European scene, there are high
expectations for the success of Pop-
eye™' ' and Time Pilot™''' which are li-
censed from Nintendo and Konami, re-
spectively. The U.S. track record of these
games is encouraging.
• Most driving games appeal to teen-
agers who do not have their driver's li-
cense as of yet. Pole Position, however,
is attracting many adults as well as teen-
agers because of its realistic simulation.
··Popeye is a trademark of King Features Syndicate. The
Popeye audio-visual work is sublicensed to Atari, Inc. by
Nintendo of America Inc.
•• ·Manufactured under license from Konami.
Future scanning projects are planned by the International Arcade Museum Library (IAML).