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Vid Kidz
Vid Kidz was a video game developer formed in 1981 by '' Defender'' programmers Eugene Jarvis and Larry DeMar, following their departure from Williams Electronics WMS Industries, Inc. was an American electronic gaming and amusement manufacturer in Enterprise, Nevada. It was merged into Scientific Games in 2016. WMS's predecessor was the Williams Manufacturing Company, founded in 1943 by Harry E. Williams .... Williams contracted with Vid Kidz to design games for them. Vid Kidz was disbanded in 1984. Games developed by Vid Kidz * '' Defender'' (1981) – developed by Jarvis and DeMar, but before the formation of Vid Kidz, while they were still at Williams. * '' Stargate'' (1981, AKA ''Defender II'') * '' Robotron: 2084'' (1982) * '' Blaster'' (1983) References Video game development companies Video game companies of the United States WMS Industries {{US-videogame-company-stub ...
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Video Game Developer
A video game developer is a broad term for a software developer specializing in video game development – the process and related disciplines of creating video games. A game developer can range from one person who undertakes all tasks to a large business with employee responsibilities split between individual disciplines, such as Video game programmer, programmers, Video game design#Game designer, designers, Game art design#Video game artist, artists, etc. Most game development companies have video game publisher financial and usually marketing support. Self-funded developers are known as independent or indie developers and usually make indie games. A developer may specialize in specific Game engine, game engines or specific video game consoles (such as Nintendo's Nintendo Switch, Switch, Microsoft's Xbox Series X and Series S, Sony's PlayStation 5), or may develop for a number of systems (including personal computers and mobile devices). Video game developers specialize in certai ...
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Defender (1981 Video Game)
''Defender'' is a scrolling shooter video game developed by Williams Electronics in 1980 and released for arcades in 1981. A side-scrolling shooter, the game is set on either an unnamed planet or city (depending on platform) where the player must defeat waves of invading aliens while protecting astronauts. Development was led by Eugene Jarvis, a pinball programmer at Williams; ''Defender'' was Jarvis' first video game project and drew inspiration from ''Space Invaders'' and ''Asteroids (video game), Asteroids''. ''Defender'' was demonstrated in late 1980, before entering production in early 1981. It was distributed in Japan by Taito. ''Defender'' was one of the most important titles of the golden age of arcade video games, selling over 55,000 units to become the company's best-selling game and one of the highest-grossing arcade games ever. Praise among critics focused on the game's audio-visuals and gameplay. It is frequently listed as one of Jarvis' best contributions to the v ...
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Eugene Jarvis
Eugene Peyton Jarvis is an American game designer and video game programmer, known for producing pinball machines for Atari and video games for Williams Electronics. Most notable among his works are the seminal arcade video games '' Defender'' and '' Robotron: 2084'' in the early 1980s, and the ''Cruis'n'' series of driving games for Midway Games in the 1990s. He co-founded Vid Kidz in the early 1980s and currently leads his own development studio, Raw Thrills Inc. In 2008, Eugene Jarvis was named the first Game Designer in Residence by DePaul University's Game Development program. His family owns the Jarvis Wines company in Napa, California. Early life and education Jarvis was born in Palo Alto, California and grew up in Menlo Park. He has an older sister, Diane, and a younger sister, Helen. His first game was chess, which he played as a young child; he was one of the best players at Bellarmine College Preparatory in San Jose. Jarvis's first encounter with computers came whi ...
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Larry DeMar
Lawrence E. "Larry" DeMar (also known as L.E.D.) is a video game and pinball designer and software programmer. He is known as co-designer, alongside Eugene Jarvis, of the classic arcade games '' Defender'' and '' Robotron: 2084''. He is the founder of design firm Leading Edge Design (LED), which creates gaming concepts for the casino industry. DeMar's games Video games *'' Defender'' *'' Stargate'' (a.k.a. ''Defender II'') *'' Robotron: 2084'' *'' Blaster'' Pinball Williams *''Black Knight'' *'' Jungle Lord'' *''Scorpion'' *'' Space Shuttle: Pinball Adventure'' *'' High Speed'' *'' Banzai Run'' *''FunHouse'' *'' Jack*Bot'' Midway (Bally) *''The Addams Family'' *''The Twilight Zone ''The Twilight Zone'' is an American media franchise based on the anthology television series created by Rod Serling. The episodes are in various genres, including fantasy, science fiction, absurdism, dystopian fiction, suspense, horror, sup ...'' *'' World Cup Soccer'' External linksLeading ...
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Williams (gaming Company)
WMS Industries, Inc. was an American electronic gaming and amusement manufacturer in Enterprise, Nevada. It was merged into Scientific Games in 2016. WMS's predecessor was the Williams Manufacturing Company, founded in 1943 by Harry E. Williams. However, the company that became WMS Industries was formally founded in 1974 as Williams Electronics, Inc. Williams initially was a manufacturer of pinball machines. In 1964, Williams was acquired by jukebox manufacturer Seeburg Corp. and reorganized as Williams Electronics Manufacturing Division. In 1973, the company branched out into the coin-operated arcade video game market with its ''Pong'' clone ''Paddle Ball'', eventually creating a number of video game classics, including '' Defender'' and '' Robotron: 2084.'' In 1974, Williams Electronics, Inc. was incorporated as a wholly owned subsidiary of Seeburg. Williams Electronics was sold off as an independent company during the bankruptcy of Seeburg in 1980. In 1987, the company went ...
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Stargate (1981 Video Game)
''Stargate'' is a side-scrolling shooter game released for arcades in 1981 by Williams Electronics. Created by Eugene Jarvis and Larry DeMar, it is a sequel to '' Defender'' which was released earlier in the year. It was the first of only three productions from Vid Kidz, an independent development house formed by Jarvis and DeMar. Some of home ports of ''Stargate'' were renamed to ''Defender II'' for legal reasons. This sequel adds new ships to the alien fleet, including Firebombers, Yllabian Space Guppies, Dynamos, Phreds, Big Reds, Munchies and Space Hums. The Defender ship is now equipped with an Inviso cloaking device, which renders the ship invulnerable when activated, but has a limited charge. A Stargate transports the ship to any humanoid in trouble. There are two special stages: the Yllabian Dogfight, first appearing at wave 5 and recurring every 10 waves; and the Firebomber Showdown, first appearing at wave 10 and also recurring every 10 waves. Gameplay The player ...
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2084
2084 may refer to: * 2084 is a number in the 2000–2999 range Time * 2084 CE (year), MMLXXXIV, the year ''A.D. 2084'' * 2084 BC (year), the year ''2084 BCE'' Places * 2084 Okayama, Asteroid #2084, also called ''Okayama'' * Farm to Market Road 2084, Texas Road ''2084'', in the U.S.A. People * Tom Tom MMLXXXIV (musician), a music arranger who worked on the 2002 Liam Hayes album ''Fed'' (album) Entertainment works/titles * ''Robotron: 2084'', a 1982 video game in the Robotron series of videogames * '' 2084: The End of the World'', a 2015 French-language novel by Boualem Sansal * ''2084'' (film), a 1984 science fiction film * ''2084'', a comics work by Goran Parlov Other uses * SMPTE ST 2084, standard #2084 from SMTPE, also called ''Perceptual Quantizer'' (PQ) * United Nations Security Council Resolution 2084, resolution #2084 passed by the U.N. Security Council * ''Partnership to Build America Act'' (H.R. 2084), a federal bill introduced by U.S. Representative John Delaney, ...
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Blaster (video Game)
''Blaster'' is the first-person rail shooter video game, released for arcades by Williams Electronics in 1983. It was developed by Eugene Jarvis and Larry DeMar. A vague sequel to '' Robotron: 2084'', the game is a shoot 'em up set in outer space. The goal is to destroy enemies, avoid obstacles, and rescue astronauts in twenty levels to reach paradise. The game uses large, scaled sprites to give the impression of attackers and asteroids approaching the player's ship. It was originally written for the Atari 8-bit family–something not made public until 2004. Neither the Atari 8-bit nor the arcade machine has bitmap scaling hardware; the Atari CPU has a higher clock rate. ''Blaster'' was sold in both Duramold and, much less commonly, traditional wooden cabinets. Plot According to the opening demo: This implies, that the game takes place after the events of '' Robotron: 2084''. However, aside from a few oversized G.R.U.N.T. robots in the first stage, none of the Robotron char ...
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Video Game Development Companies
Video is an electronic medium for the recording, copying, playback, broadcasting, and display of moving visual media. Video was first developed for mechanical television systems, which were quickly replaced by cathode-ray tube (CRT) systems which, in turn, were replaced by flat panel displays of several types. Video systems vary in display resolution, aspect ratio, refresh rate, color capabilities and other qualities. Analog and digital variants exist and can be carried on a variety of media, including radio broadcast, magnetic tape, optical discs, computer files, and network streaming. History Analog video Video technology was first developed for mechanical television systems, which were quickly replaced by cathode-ray tube (CRT) television systems, but several new technologies for video display devices have since been invented. Video was originally exclusively a live technology. Charles Ginsburg led an Ampex research team developing one of the first practical ...
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Video Game Companies Of The United States
Video is an electronic medium for the recording, copying, playback, broadcasting, and display of moving visual media. Video was first developed for mechanical television systems, which were quickly replaced by cathode-ray tube (CRT) systems which, in turn, were replaced by flat panel displays of several types. Video systems vary in display resolution, aspect ratio, refresh rate, color capabilities and other qualities. Analog and digital variants exist and can be carried on a variety of media, including radio broadcast, magnetic tape, optical discs, computer files, and network streaming. History Analog video Video technology was first developed for mechanical television systems, which were quickly replaced by cathode-ray tube (CRT) television systems, but several new technologies for video display devices have since been invented. Video was originally exclusively a live technology. Charles Ginsburg led an Ampex research team developing one of the first practica ...
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