June 1984

The home computer market implodes, Atari announces 7800 & Console software dries up.

These stories and many more on this episode of the VGNRTM!

This episode we will look back at the biggest stories in and around the video game industry in June 1984. As always, we'll mostly be using magazine cover dates, and those are of course always a bit behind the actual events.

Alex Smith of They Create Worlds is our cohost. Check out his podcast here: https://www.theycreateworlds.com/ and order his book here: https://www.theycreateworlds.com/book

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Links: If you don't see all the links, find them here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/112063864

7 Minutes in Heaven: Summer Games Video Version: https://www.patreon.com/posts/7-minutes-in-111922026 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Summer_Games_(video_game) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1984_Summer_Olympics

Corrections: May 1984 Ep - https://www.patreon.com/posts/may-1984-108363601 Ethan's fine site The History of How We Play: https://thehistoryofhowweplay.wordpress.com/ https://forums.atariage.com/topic/283473-coleco-industries-inc-annual-quarterly-reports-1981-to-1986/ https://www.mobygames.com/company/1181/ientertainment-network-inc/ https://www.mobygames.com/company/56/imagic/

1954: MIDAC and MIDSAC premiered Electronic Brain Shoots Dice, Plays Mean Game, The Philadelphia Inquirer (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) · 27 Jun 1954 https://www.retrogamedeconstructionzone.com/2021/07/midsac-pool-simulator.html https://www.masswerk.at/nowgobang/2019/michigan-pool

1974: Is Pong gambling? While Pondering Decision, A Look at Evidence The Tampa Tribune (Tampa, Florida) · 04 Jun 1974, Tue

Grand Trak 10 cracks 1000 https://archive.org/details/cashbox36unse_1/page/37/mode/1up?view=theater https://archive.org/details/cashbox36unse_2/page/35/mode/1up

US coinop exports boom https://archive.org/details/cashbox36unse_3/page/38/mode/1up

Smithsonian displays coinop machines https://archive.org/details/cashbox36unse_3/page/39/mode/1up

1984: Home computer boom busts https://www.nytimes.com/1984/06/04/business/the-expected-boom-in-home-computers-fails-to-materialize.html?searchResultPosition=1

Atari HQ gets mass layoffs Atari Layoffs Start At Home Office, The New York Times, June 1, 1984, Friday, Late City Final Edition, Section: Section D; Page 3, Column 5; Financial Desk https://books.google.de/books?id=wS4EAAAAMBAJ&lpg=PA78&dq=infoworld%201984%20june&hl=de&pg=PA9#v=onepage&q=infoworld%201984%20june&f=false

Commodore raises prices https://archive.org/details/computer-entertainer-3-3/page/n1/mode/2up

Top Commodore Execs go to Tramel Computer market is Commodore's battleground, Financial Times (London,England), June 8, 1984, Friday, Section: SECTION II; International Companies; Pg. 17, Byline: BY LOUISE KEHOE IN SAN FRANCISCO

Philips announces new division https://archive.org/details/happycomputer-magazine-1984-06/page/n7/mode/2up

Coleco returns to profitability No Headline In Original, The Associated Press, June 14, 1984, Thursday, PM cycle, Section: Business News

Hasbro buys MB Playthings June 1984, pg. 9 Mattel gets financial boost Playthings June 1984, pg. 9 BUSINESS PEOPLE ;Mattel, Solely in Toys,Combines Management, The New York Times, June 7, 1984, Thursday, Late City Final Edition,Section: Section D; Page 2, Column 5; Financial Desk, Byline: By Kenneth N. Gilpin

General Instruments revenue 66% down No Headline In Original, Communications Daily, June 13, 1984, Wednesday, Section: NOTEBOOK; Vol. 4, No. 115; Pg. 8

More hardware companies fail AT&T to introduce personal computer; Kaypro mystery; UNIX-ability; Thinking ahead, The San Diego Union-Tribune, June 25, 1984 Monday, Section: BUSINESS; Pg. C-11, Byline: Dan Berger, Staff Writer

More Software companies fail https://archive.org/details/popular-computing-weekly-1984-06-21/page/n4/mode/1up?view=theater

Argus buys Quicksilva https://archive.org/details/popular-computing-weekly-1984-06-07/mode/1up?view=theater

Gillette buys into Datasoft https://archive.org/details/Computer_Gaming_World_Issue_4.3/page/n15/mode/2up https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gillette

Smaller publishers find strength in numbers https://archive.org/details/Computer_Gaming_Wor...