What's What! Video Game Facts (47/365)
The first digital distribution system was implemented by Atari in the early 80s.
Downloading games is something everyday for any user of Nintendo with the Nintendo Switch Online, Microsoft also has it system with the Xbox Live and Sony Entertainment Network for it consoles is not left behind, and for PC we have the awesome Steam but few know that the precursor of this system was GameLine, cartridge that allowed download software for Atari 2600 in 1983.
At the beginning of the '80s the video game company Atari used the GameLine as an early game digital distribution system for the console Atari 2600. The system developed and operated by Control Video Corporation (CVC) maybe it sounds more like the name of AOL one of the early pioneers of the Internet.
The American entrepreneur William von Meister was looking for a way to use his innovative modem transmission technology, he used the telephone line to distribute music to cable companies but legal issues caused cable providers to step away from the service when the record industry began to threaten, fearing some losses Meister proposed to found Video Control Corporation (CVC) and after some modifications to his variable speed adaptive modem technology, manages to create the GameLine to download games from central servers to individual households.
The service had a cost of US$ 59.95 and a fee of another US$ 15, the user received a silver Atari cartridge called the Master Module with an internal modem and a identification PIN Through a telephone jack, the device was connected to central servers and download the requested games in less than a minute.
In addition to the games, GameLine offered other benefits such as subscription to GameLiner magazine, which published game tricks and guides, opportunity to compete in contests with selected games and free games on their birthday (cool right?).
Ok now the down side of why this didn't become a multi-billion dollar company, well you see, the games available on the GameLine service were all from third-party gamemakers the CVC failed to obtain licensing agreements, also the games would typically work for 5-10 plays, something like a maximum of one week, after which the user would have to connect to GameLine again and pay for another download and for the final nail in the coffin, the Video game crash of 1983
[Previous post: What's What! Video Game Facts (46/365)]