The screen flickers “Your marker controlled with joystick. To draw stix press fast or slow. Claim areas by joining walls with stix.“ Or so the first three simple sentences of the original Qix attract mode boldly stated. It continues, “Scores based on area. Fast score 250. Slow score 500.” Ten words on how I am to be rated. Already a sense of urgency is mounting within. However there is more – a SURPRISE… “Claim more than 75% of playfield for special bonus.” What could it be? I must know. All that lies between me and the goal are the “Opponents: Qix, Sparx, Fuse, Spiral Death Trap.“ These odd and abstract antagonists move in such an uncanny manner. What methods do I need to apply to “Evade Qix” and “Dodge Sparx?” What do I need to do to become a coveted “Kicker” member?
The fall of 1981 and an eleven year-old boy’s mind stumbles with many intriguing questions, including the obvious. How do I pronounce this crazy game, anyway [quix], [squix], [quicks], [kicks]? It is only three letters long and my fourth grade education is already failing me!
The true diction is not “QUIX” but “KICKS.” There are two stories that explain the possible origin of how the game was named. As with much lore, the tales should be taken with a grain of salt, and not argued amongst friends at classic gaming expos across the country. – Read the rest of this article by clicking here!
Also published is an ad for Downright Bizarre Games by Michael Thomasson. It give you a chance to view some of the weirdest games in history. For more information about this and other publications, visit Good Deal Games.
Michael Thomasson is one of the most widely respected videogame historians in the field today. He currently teaches college level videogame history, design, and graphics courses. For television, Michael conducted research for MTV's videogame related program Video MODS. In print, he authored Downright Bizarre Games, and has contributed to nearly a dozen gaming texts. Michael’s historical columns have been distributed in newspapers and magazines worldwide. He has written business plans for several vendors and managed a dozen game-related retail stores spanning three decades. Michael consults for multiple video game and computer museums and has worked on nearly a hundred game titles on Atari, Coleco, Sega and other console platforms. In 2014, The Guinness Book of World Records declared that Thomasson had “The Largest Videogame Collection” in the world. His businesses sponsor gaming tradeshows and expos across the US and Canada. Visit www.GoodDealGames.com.
