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Touch Me (arcade game)
Encyclopedia
Touch Me is an arcade game first released by Atari Inc.
in 1974, and later as a handheld game in 1978. It can be described as a Simon
-like game that involves touching a series of button
s that light up and produce sound
s. The player must observe a sequence
of blinking lights and repeat the sequence back in the same order that it occurred. Each time this is completed, the game will produce another sequence with an additional button added. This process is repeated and a digital score window displays the total number of sound sequences a player correctly repeats. The game continues until the maximum sequence of buttons is reached, or the user makes an error.
In 1977, Ralph Baer saw potential in the "Simon says" concept behind the Touch Me game. He copied Atari's game, adding colored buttons and musical sound effects, and created the Simon
hand held game, which became a major success.
Seeing this, Atari sought to capitalize on the success of Simon and released their own handheld version of Touch Me in 1978. Unfortunately, like the arcade original, the Touch Me hand held game was not a major success. Many saw the Touch Me hand held as a clone
of Simon, when in fact it was the other way around, and Touch Me soon vanished from sight. Simon, meanwhile, continues to be sold nearly 30 years later.
Atari
Atari is a corporate and brand name owned by several entities since its inception in 1972. It is currently owned by Atari Interactive, a wholly owned subsidiary of the French publisher Atari, SA . The original Atari, Inc. was founded in 1972 by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney. It was a pioneer in...
in 1974, and later as a handheld game in 1978. It can be described as a Simon
Simon (game)
Simon is an electronic game of memory skill invented by Ralph H. Baer and Howard J. Morrison, with the software programming being done by Lenny Cope and manufactured and distributed by Milton Bradley. Simon was launched in 1978 at Studio 54 in New York City and became an immediate success. It...
-like game that involves touching a series of button
Button
In modern clothing and fashion design, a button is a small fastener, most commonly made of plastic, but also frequently of seashell, which secures two pieces of fabric together. In archaeology, a button can be a significant artifact. In the applied arts and in craft, a button can be an example of...
s that light up and produce sound
Sound
Sound is a mechanical wave that is an oscillation of pressure transmitted through a solid, liquid, or gas, composed of frequencies within the range of hearing and of a level sufficiently strong to be heard, or the sensation stimulated in organs of hearing by such vibrations.-Propagation of...
s. The player must observe a sequence
Sequence
In mathematics, a sequence is an ordered list of objects . Like a set, it contains members , and the number of terms is called the length of the sequence. Unlike a set, order matters, and exactly the same elements can appear multiple times at different positions in the sequence...
of blinking lights and repeat the sequence back in the same order that it occurred. Each time this is completed, the game will produce another sequence with an additional button added. This process is repeated and a digital score window displays the total number of sound sequences a player correctly repeats. The game continues until the maximum sequence of buttons is reached, or the user makes an error.
History
Touch Me was first released as an arcade game in 1974 by Atari. The arcade version was housed in a short arcade cabinet and had four large circular buttons of the same color. The player was allowed to make three mistakes before the game ended. The arcade game found itself competing for attention in arcades with the latest pinball machines and video games of the day and was not very successful.Simon (game)
Simon is an electronic game of memory skill invented by Ralph H. Baer and Howard J. Morrison, with the software programming being done by Lenny Cope and manufactured and distributed by Milton Bradley. Simon was launched in 1978 at Studio 54 in New York City and became an immediate success. It...
hand held game, which became a major success.
Seeing this, Atari sought to capitalize on the success of Simon and released their own handheld version of Touch Me in 1978. Unfortunately, like the arcade original, the Touch Me hand held game was not a major success. Many saw the Touch Me hand held as a clone
Clone (computer and video games)
A video game clone is a video game or game series which is very similar to or heavily inspired by a previous popular game or game series. Some video game genres are founded by such archetypal games that all subsequent similar games are thought of as derivatives.The term is sometimes derogatory,...
of Simon, when in fact it was the other way around, and Touch Me soon vanished from sight. Simon, meanwhile, continues to be sold nearly 30 years later.