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4. Remote Controlled Wall Games (Various c.1972 onwards) Coin-op

In the year that Magnavox brought television Tennis to homes, and Atari did the same for bars and arcades, there was a one-switch lower-tech alternative: Midway’s Table Tennis. A huge ‘Wall Game’ played with remote control single button controls. Remote Controlled Wall Games were aimed at bars and restaurants running out of space but wanting to bring coin-operated fun to their customers. The appeal for players was in not having to leave the comfort of the bar or table you were seated at, and a chance to perform in front of the public. The games were typically hung like large pictures on the wall or mounted on plinths. In Midway’s Table Tennis, the motion of the ball, the bats and game messages were all conveyed with light bulbs turning on or off in sequence. Each player held a one button wireless controller to serve or return the ball with. Mechanical scoring reels kept track of the left and right player scores. Proceeding wall game themes included baseball, basketball, bowling, darts, football and shooting games. There was also the brilliantly named Electro Kennel Club, sadly nothing to do with night clubbing dogs. Of geek interest, the Gremlin wall games were amongst the very first arcade games to use Microprocessors. As for the games, if you can imagine a giant coin-operated Nintendo Game and Watch using light bulbs, with boxy one button remote controls, you’re 90% there.

Very accurate timing skills needed. Trap Shoot simulation exists for Windows PCs.

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1973 Counter Attack by Sunbird: “a space invasion in our own galaxy!”

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1976 Gremlin Fooswall Wallgame: “Not sure about those socks, mate”.

Overleaf: Play Ball! (baseball), Duck Hunt (target shooting game), Golf Champ (pitch and putt) and

Electro Kennel Club (greyhound racing). Two battery powered one-button remote control units.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY and PICTURE CREDITS 4. “Remote Controlled Wall Games” Midway Tennis image from chopperthedog YouTube video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmSG9fpl1Kc. Flyers from personal scans and The Arcade Flyer Arcade (TAFA): http://flyers.arcade-museum.com/

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SEE: OneSwitch.org.uk/page/100 for the full story