Intellivision FAQ Section 7.0 Events

Intellivision Master Component model 2609

The Classic Intellivision FAQ

Composed, arranged, and produced by Intv Prime, Artifact Productions Division
https://www.intvprime.com/intellivision-faq

Section 7.0: Events

Activities and actions that happened in the Intellivision universe, over time.

  • 7.1 Promotional and Fun Activities
  • 7.2 Private Parties
  • 7.3 Legal Events

7.1: What were the Video Game Challenge Tournaments?

Late in 1981, Mattel held a series of local tournaments in Washington, DC, Baltimore, New York, Philadelphia, Chicago and Los Angeles, benefitting Variety Clubs International. Contestants competed for prizes (Grand Prize: an RCA projection TV) playing Major League Baseball, Auto Racing, and U.S. Ski Team Skiing. Another competition for parent+child was held in Summer/Fall in 1982, and then one more challenge competition in Chicago in 1982 for individuals. The Marketing Department knew that they were on to something. The publicity was so good, that Marketing took the idea national in 1982 with the $100,000 Astrosmash Shootoff.

Info from one of the contestants:

We arrive at the mall to a remarkable sight: 30 TVs and Intellivision sets in the big center court lounge area, like something out of a NASA control room. Many of the specifics of the day are lost to the sands of time, but I can still feel the excitement of having a chance to show off and compete. Most off all, I remember the fun of doing so as a family and how fitting it is that we should all be there together. For several hours, there are 15-team qualifying rounds on Skiing with the winning team of each round advancing to the 2nd round. My Dad and I set a solid time and win our round on the 1st attempt. After several attempts, my Mom and Sis manage to beat out 14 other teams to win a round of Skiing and claim a spot in the top 15 teams moving onto the second round. How huge is that?? The only family with 2 teams making it through! The second round is a timed game of Astrosmash, which none of us had needed practice on thanks to the recent Astrosmash Shootoff high score contest (more on that next time), but with only one shot to set a score, it’s not a sure thing we’ll make the 2 team finals. My Dad and I pull out a comfortable second and Mom & Sis manage to come in a very respectable 7th!

7.1: What is the Astrosmash Shootoff?

The Astrosmash Shootoff was first held in 1982 with a $25,000 cash prize won by Manuel Rodriguez of Stockton, California (score 935,180).

73 entrants were flown to Houston, Texas for an all-expense-paid weekend to play for a high score within one hour.
Marketing ran a "send-in-a-photo-of-your-score" method to submit entry into the contest without consulting either John Sohl or David Chandler, either of which would have immediately pointed out that players could easily get unearned high scores by (starting) the game in one of the slow-speed modes.

7.1: How did people qualify for the Astrosmash Shootoff?

The rules required people to play consistently. The rule makers didn’t realize that participants could "intermission" the game whenever they liked for a break and play whenever they wanted. Very high scores were the result! *Note: Intv Prime executive Steve Craft didn’t think of that then he played at age 7, so he never qualified!

7.1: What were the scores for the Astrosmash Shootoff?

Mattel Electronics
All Stars

West Team

Name Score
Manuel Rodriguez 851,505
Michael Miller 769,715
Martin Huard 752,940
Byron Nelson 750,830
Randy White 735,760
James West 730,390
Chad Junge 723,585
Andrew Staines 714,730
Ernie Fisher 707,525
Torn Lodgard 703,640
Mike Todd 692,280
Mike Siegler 666,195
G. Strada 646,585
Larry Sease 646,265
Derek Drew 641,605
Charlie Spears 636,705
John Roberts 632,320
Steve Little 624,490
D. J. Stamm 611,970
Richard Yamagata 611,320
Brad Brown 604,855
Larry Arnold 593,320
Peggy Hampton 514,250
T. R. Morgan 512,485
Stephen Glowacz 511,730
Phillip Culver 481,305
Janice Haycraft 464,980
Stephen Rochter 457,720
Rodney Zalewski 448,010
Robert McDonald 441,040

East Team

Name Score
Charles Tappan 795,750
Bernard Heydenbu 784,390
John Malley 774,435
Gary Lynch 769,240
Jim Jacob 755,530
Michael McCauley 726,450
Robert Kessler 710,100
Joseph Johnson 708,810
Ira Rubenstein 697,870
David Loh 686,420
Paul Souzer 681,425
Matt Wilson 666,000
C. Mark Boyle 654,425
Charles Grundy 653,390
Dough Leighty 647,320
Edward Manziuk 639,520
Mike Arvol 639,325
Scott Jacob 637,550
Rick Marchini 633,825
Donald Mason 630,505
Meyer Van Dam 625,430
Mathias Beran 624,250
Richard Smith 622,805
Kurt Sherry 616,385
Jefferey Zwier 606,350
Patrick Shrake 590,175
Thomas Fairbrother 588,165
Wayne Spoor 573,110
Richard Fulmer 567,435
Michael Obrzut 562,650
Michael Jacobi 560,950
T. Dodson 543,350
James Knaus 540,935
Ronald Fischer 536,290
Tom Reeves 517,080
Joseph Gendusa 507,095
John Parker 493,925
Steven Zickel 467,460
Paul Redmond 451,480
Brian Sheehey 406,395
Vinvent Gendusa 405,295
Gary Hanson 392,190

7.1: What is the 2015 Astrosmash Shootoff?

The Astrosmash Shootoff in 2015 was held at the National Museum of Pinball. Famed videogame music composer Tommy Tallarico came in first in the 5-minute times challende with 13,220 points, second place was Patrick Wyrick with 13,195 points. 12 players competed for the top prize of an Intellivision Flashback unit.

7.1: What is the Classic Gaming Expo (CGE)?

CGE has been held since 1999 in early Fall in Las Vegas, NV, USA. It is run by John Hardie, Sean Kelly, and Joe Santulli to cover retro video game collecting and playing, with classic Intellivision games playing a prominent role.

7.1: What is Gamescom?

Late Summer (typically August), Gamescom takes place in Germany to hilight retro and current video games. Developer-publisher company Elektronite usually has an expansive presence, hilighting the newest Intellivision games.

7.1: What is the Portland Retrogaming Expo?

The Expo is held, in years when a pandemic is not occurring, in Portland in mid-Autumn. It has been the congregation point for 21st Century independent and homebrew game publishers, console fans, and expert players. It is typically held in the Oregon Convention Center, 777 NE MLK Jr. Blvd. Portland, OR 97232.

PRGE has returned in 2022, October 14-16.

7.1: Can I share my high scores?

Multiple authorities exist for reporting the highest high scores across the Intellivision catalog. That sounds like an oxymoron, because it is. 🙂 Pick a group you like, play the game fully recorded, and post it. At the end of the day, it’s all about fun. Different score platforms have different rules (real hardware vs Flashback vs emulation, time limits, controller variations, etc).

  • Twin Galaxies
  • Atari Age Intellivision High Score Club
  • High Score Official site
  • Facebook Intellivision Invasion Group, Kevin Schultz’s Weekly High Score Challenge

7.1: What is Intellivision Day?

As agreed-upon by industry authorities and enthusiasts, the birthday of the Intellivision was December 3, 1979.
The worldwide community has agreed in recent years to simply play any game in the catalog to celebrate the debut of the first 16-bit game console. No requirement other than turning on a console or emulator in the home and having fun. Intv Prime maintains a space to sign-up and commit to playing just so people in the community can see what is being played (and to help cover the whole catalog). The event tagline is >Play a game you like, with someone you like.

7.1: What is the Intellivision Virtual Expo?

The Expo is a multi-hour marathon showcasing the latest and best in games, hardware, development, and news – strictly related to the classic Intellivision.

The first event took place on 21-November-2020 via Zoom, from 12:00pm to 8:00pm, US-Eastern-Standard time.
| Time | Session |
|——-|—————————————————————————-|
| 12:05 | Intellivision Revolution Introduction & Presentation (10 min) |
| 12:15 | Commercial Break |
| 12:20 | What’s New Presentation by Nanochess (25 min) |
| 12:45 | Commercial Break |
| 12:50 | Midnight Blue International Intellivision update by Michael Hayes (25 min) |
| 1:15 | Commercial Break |
| 1:20 | 2600Connection Presentation by Timdu (25 min) |
| 1:45 | Commercial Break |
| 1:50 | TV-PoWWW! By Decle (25min) |
| 2:15 | Commercial Break |
| 2:20 | Intellivisionaries Homebrew Highlights (45 min) |
| 3:05 | Intermission |
| 3:30 | From Pac-Man to Carol: A Post-Mortem by DZ-Jay (60 minutes) |
| 4:30 | Commercial Break |
| 4:35 | Amico Moment by OEB Pete (25 min) |
| 5:00 | Commercial Break |
| 5:05 | Intellivision Arcade Games Top 10 by ArcadeUSA (10 min) |
| 5:15 | Commercial Break |
| 5:20 | Argon Intellivision Emulator Presentation (25 min) |
| 5:45 | Commercial Break |
| 5:50 | The Immortal John Hancock Intellivision Favorite Games (15 min) |
| 6:05 | Elektronite Greetings by Vaulter Prette |
| 6:10 | Elektronite Update by Michael Bergeron |
| 6:30 | Expo Closing session |

In addition to the sessions and presentations, the event also hosted live game streaming via the Virtual Game Room. Multiple players in 4 different Azure Media "streaming rooms" played for high scores and recognition, or deep-dove into a few new homebrew games, or or generally played for fun.
2020 Game Streamers:

  • Al Birman
  • Brian Pudden
  • Glenn Case
  • Jay Craft
  • Rick Reynolds
  • Robert Ferguson
  • Ryan Winslow
  • William Hunter
  • Generational Gamer

7.1: What was the IntyBASIC Programming Contest in 2015?

The contest was open to all IntyBASIC programmersm sponsored by GroovyBee, nonner242, nanochess, CollectorVision and Albert of Atari Age from 2015-July-01 to 2016-Jan-01.

12 contestants competed to create a ROM that was evaluated for game play, graphics, sound, and originality.

Entrants, in order of award:

  • Whale Hunt, by Emerson
  • Space Versus, by Mmarrero
  • Mermaid, my Tuatua21
  • Goatnom, by Freewheel
  • Classic Battleship, by CrazyBoss
  • Stut Cycles, by Fsuinnc
  • Alligator Swamp, by Carlsson
  • Zyx, by Atari2600land
  • Slalom!, by Carlsson
  • CB-Tictactoe, by CrazyBoss
  • Tramps,by Catsfolly
  • Bowl Bust, by BuzZLeR
  • Intellibullet, by Shalmezad

7.1: What was the IntyBASIC Programming Contest in 2018?

The contest was open to all IntyBASIC programmersm sponsored by Albert Yarusso, Crossbow, Dz-Jay, GrovvyBeeand IntyMike, mthiompson, OTG, and Tarzilla of Atari Age from 2018-July-01 to 2018-Dec-31

12 contestants competed to create a ROM that was evaluated for game play, graphics, sound, and originality.

Entrants, in order of award:

  1. Deep Zone (434) – By Artrag
  2. Upmonsters (399) – By atari2600land
  3. The Crimson Tower (397) – By emerson
  4. MazezaM (387) – By postpostdoc
  5. Boot Hill (383) – By digress
  6. Princess Lydie (379) – By mmarrero
  7. Dwarven Mine (364) – By boardgamebrewer
  8. A Sparrow Goes Flapping (349) – By Kiwi
  9. Ouranos! (340) – By carlsson
  10. Deadly Balls (299) – By PuzZLeR
  11. Hunt the Wumpus (287) – By Zendocon
  12. mINTY (260) – By Decle

7.1: What was the IntyBASIC Programming Contest in 2020?

The contest was open to all IntyBASIC programmersm sponsored by intvdave, IntyMike, OTG, Tarzilla, Zendocon, and ZillaRUSH of Atari Age from 2020-July-01 to 2020-Dec-31 .

Contestants competed to create a ROM that was evaluated for game play, graphics, sound, and originality.

Entrants, in order of award:

  • 1st Place: Infiltrator (cmadruga, ARTRAG, Nyuundere, and TIX)
  • 2nd Place: The Pandora Incident (Pandora Team of cmadruga, ARTRAG, Black_Tiger, Nyuundere)
  • 3rd Place: TV Powww! (Decle)
  • 4th Place: Eggerland Mystery demo. (cmadruga, and Nyuundere)
  • 5th Place: The Depth of Nitemare. (kiwi)
  • 6th Place: Mr Turtle. (digress)
  • 7th Place: Space Combat. (fsuinnc)

7.2: What is the Intellivision Baseball League?

The Intellivision Baseball League is a virtual league played by ten teams representing Intellivision games. The season culminates with a three-game championship series between the first place teams of each network. The Intellivision Baseball League has run for multiple seasons, a complete league running C-vs-C teams on Super Pro Baseball.

It is a ton of fun to watch (and wager?) on the teams, skill makes a difference!

7.2: Was Basketball ever played for a private tournament?

In 1989, A man named Bart Elliot combed every phone book until he found the number of Steve Ettinger, and asked him for a special modification to the game, so he could host a private party with the names of players and modified stats as Bart’s friends names and changes for the league name and stats and etc. The version was created for an agreement of few thousand dollars, including art from Connie Goldman. The single cartridge was mailed to Bart, who never paid for the work. The source code for this conversion is currently unavailable.

7.2: What is the Intellivision Loot Box?

The Loot Box is a social sharing experiment, where a chain of classic console enthusiasts take turns receiving a box full of Intellivisoin goodies (carts, shells, marketing items, anything) and putting in things they would like to give away to someone else.

7.3: Was Mattel Sued by Magnavox?

In 1978 Magnavox introduced the Odyssey 2 which had a microprocessor which traced its roots to the …507 patent filed by Sanders Associates granted in 1967/68. In 1979 Mattel introduced the Intellivision with a General Instruments microprocessor. Magnavox had previously successfully sued Atari (over Atari’s Pong console)for patent violation. Atari settled by becoming a Magnavox exclusive licensee. With that confidently behind them, Magnavox sued Mattel for patent violation over Mattel’s introduction of the Intellivision. Mattel’s defence was that its console was not based on ‘507 but on the computer prior art, Space War!, the 1962 game played on a DEC PDP-1 mainframe at MIT. The court found for Magnavox …it is clear from the evidence that Mattel did not in fact follow the prior art but, instead, followed developments in the television game industry, an industry which was created because of the work done at Sanders in developing the first television games and an industry which expanded and developed and become economically viable largely because of television games which followed the teachings of the ‘507 Patent.

Stamp: 2023-11-26T03:29:17

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