Chris Crawford on Game Design

Chapter 16. Energy Czar

In early 1980, having met my obligation to design a game for the Video Computer System (VCS), I eagerly set to work learning the Home Computer System (HCS). It was quite a challenge; the documentation was fragmented and not very helpful. At the same time, I was casting about for a game idea. I proposed to my supervisor, Dale Yocum, that I build an educational game on energy/environment/economics issues. As it happens, I had built a crude version of such a game and declared it on my Inventions and Patents agreement with Atari, so it was technically my property. He agreed that, if I could build a game good enough to pass muster with marketing, then Atari would pay me $2,000 for my rights to the design. I set to work on ...