ATARI BYTES

THE CARNIVAL IS IN TOWN!

In episode 220, we flagrantly defy stay-at-home orders to go to the carnival. Okay, not really. But we are playing Sega's 1980 Atari 2600 game CARNIVAL. Grab a corn dog, do something involving butter, and take a spin on the tilt-a-whirl. Just don't hug a carney. Social distancing, friends.

This week's short story: SECOND DUCK ON THE LEFT

Thanks to Kevin McLeod at Incompetech.com for creative commons use of his songs "Take a Chance", "Pinball Spring" and "Reformat".

Thanks to Sean Courtney for the "Storytime" theme.

You can find show notes, social media and info about ATARI BYTES here and about my other podcast, IT'S A PODCAST, CHARLIE BROWN here on www.carnivalofglee.com

Get info on the website about books I've written, like MISERY BANANA: VERY SHORT STORIES INSPIRED BY OLD GAMES AND ODD THOUGHTS.

Support the podcast by becoming a subscriber on the ATARI BYTES page on Patreon.com here. Get episodes EARLY! Get BONUS episodes! Madness! Exclamation points!

Pick up "Go Play Some Old Games. They've Missed You." shirts and mugs. www.zazzle.com/ab_pod_store

This week, we have another M Network game for you, this one from 1982, boldly titled SPACE ATTACK. That's a name right up there in the creativity pantheon with "Space Battle", "Racing" and "3D Tic-Tac-Toe". At least that last one tries to dress things up with the 3D part.

Does only being in 2D keep SPACE ATTACK from being a classic? Or even fun? Does this week's original short story "It's People I Can't Stand...But I Can Stand With Them" overcome its clunky title? Do I use the ellipsis as a means of expression too much?

So many ... questions.

And please check out my Atari Bytes - inspired short story collection MISERY BANANA: VERY SHORT STORIES INSPIRED BY OLD GAMES AND ODD THOUGHTS

Thanks to Kevin McLeod at Incompetech.com for creative commons use of his songs "Take a Chance", "Reformat" and "Pinball Spring".

Thanks to Mike Mann for the "Mad Mike Hughes" update theme.

Thanks to Sean Courtney for the Storytime theme.

Atari Bytes show notes and more here.

It's a Podcast, Charlie Brown - Hey! That's my other show!

You can support the show financially on the Atari Bytes Patreon page. Thanks in advance.

Pick up show merchandise on the Zazzle.com store AB_Pod_Store.

So.

For the last episode in 2018, I reviewed a video game-related movie (Megaforce). This year, I fully intended to do that again, but after playing the game "Revenge of the Beefsteak Tomatoes", I decided instead to go with one of its inspirations, the 1978 disaster parody "Attack of the Killer Tomatoes". It's a...comedy?....about ordinary tomatoes that mutate and go aroud killing people. Also, there's the San Diego Chicken. And a song about puberty. Yep.

I couldn't keep all this fun for myself. Sean and Jim from the "Pie Factory" podcast are in the studio to talk about the movie too! Don't worry, I unlocked the door and let them out when it was over.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Thanks to Kevin McLeod at Incompetech.com for creative commons use of his songs "Take a Chance", "Pinball Spring" and "Reformat".

Thanks to Mike Mann for the "Mad Mike Hughes" theme.

Thanks to Sean Courtney for the "Storytime" theme.

Go to www.carnivalofgleecreations.com for episode links, social media and info about ATARI BYTES, my other monthly show IT'S A PODCAST, CHARLIE BROWN.

The website also has info about my books MISERY BANANA: VERY SHORT STORIES INSPIRED BY OLD GAMES AND ODD THOUGHTS and the holiday-themed IN THE ST. NICK OF TIME. Links to some of the places to order them too!

Support Atari Bytes financially by subscribing on Patreon.com here.

Pick up "Go Play Some Old Games. They've Missed You" shirts and mugs at the AB_Pod_Store on Zazzle.com.

This week on the show, you have two jobs.

You must hunt.

You must score.

That's because we're playing Atari's 1978 Concentration, Memory, Memory Match, A Game of Concentration...fine, let's call it HUNT & SCORE. You might remember that as being part of the second wave of new titles from Atari.

But hopefully that's not all you remember, because you'll need a steel-trap mind to line up these pairs and crush the computer with infinite (not infinite; not in 1978) memory.

This week's short story: NO MATCH FOR ME

Thanks to Kevin McLeod at Incompetech.com for creative commons use of his songs "Take a Chance", "Reformat", and "Pinball Spring".

Thanks to Mike Mann for the "Mad Mike Hughes".

Thanks to Sean Courtney for the "Storytime" theme.

Find episodes, social media links for this show, ATARI BYTES, and the monthly IT'S A PODCAST, CHARLIE BROWN, about all things related to the inconic "Peanuts" strip at www.carnivalofgleecreations.com

I'm a writer too. Find info about and links to some of the places you can pick up my books at www.carnivalofgleecreations.com

Support the show ATARI BYTES on Patreon.com and get access to episodes early or even get bonus episodes.

Pick us "Go play some old games, they've missed you" shirts at mugs at AB_Pod_Store on Zazzle.com

The Far Side could be coming to the Internet

"We're Going to Slam a Spacecraft Into an Asteroid to Try to Deflect It"

"When We used to Storm Area 51 at the Arcade"

Hey, Pinheads! Don't biff the bumpers, just nudge the podcast machine - DON'T TILT! - and check out this week's kick-out hole of an episode before it goes down the drain.

Obviously, this week's episode is all about golf.

Kidding! Don't do a panic flip.

Now, let me do a lazarus ball to get these show notes back on track. This week, on episode 113, we're playing VIDEO PINBALL, Atari's 1980 port of it's own 1978 coin-op machine. Is the game (and the story therein) a house ball or a gobble hole? Insert your quarters where indicated and let's find out.

Thanks to Kevin McLeod at Incompetech.com for creative commons use of his songs "Take a Chance", "Pinball Spring" and "Reformat".

Atari Bytes episodes, social media, show notes and more here...

It's a Podcast, Charlie Brown - Hey! That's my other show. Get your Snoopy fix here, every month.

You can get "Go play some old games, they've missed you." shirts nd more at our Atari Bytes Zazzle.com store AB_Pod_Store here.

Consider supporting the show financially on our Patreon page here.

Here's the Mental Floss article where we got the pinball slang used in the episode.