Blip (stylized as Blip. THE DIGITAL GAME) is a tabletop

electro-mechanical In engineering, electromechanics combines processes and procedures drawn from electrical engineering and mechanical engineering. Electromechanics focuses on the interaction of electrical and mechanical systems as a whole and how the two systems ...

game marketed by

Tomy is a Japanese entertainment company that makes children's toys and merchandise. It was created from a merger on March 1st 2006 of two companies: Tomy (founded in 1924 as Tomiyama, changing the name to Tomy in 1963) and long-time rival Ta ...

starting in

1977 Events January * January 8 – Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (now the Democrat ...

in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. The system can play a

two-player A multiplayer video game is a video game in which more than one person can play in the same game environment at the same time, either locally on the same computing system ( couch co-op), on different computing systems via a local area network, or ...

game that is very similar to Atari's video game

Pong ''Pong'' is a table tennis–themed twitch arcade sports video game, featuring simple two-dimensional graphics, manufactured by Atari and originally released in 1972. It was one of the earliest arcade video games; it was created by Allan Al ...

, and a single-player game. In

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

, the system was sold under the name ''Blip-o-Mat''. In Japan, the game was marketed as ''World Tennis''.

History

''Blip'' was designed by Hikoo Usami for the Tomy Kogyo Co., the patent being filed in

1976 Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 11 – The 1976 ...

and awarded on December 19, 1977. Tomy marketed ''Blip'' in the U.S. starting in 1977. In Japan, ''Blip'' was marketed as ''World Tennis'' and differed from the U.S. game by having the words "World Tennis" emblazoned on the screen and replacing the 1, 2, and 3 on the screen with silhouettes of tennis players. The ''Blip'' name remained on the Japanese version. In France, the game was marketed by Meccatronic. The German version was called ''Blip-o-Matic'', although the ''Blip'' name remained on the case.

Gameplay

For a two-player game, the game's selector switch is set to position 2 (for two players). The game is then turned on and the red LED ball lit up. Whichever side the ball is on serves first. The server's score counter is set to "0" while the receiver's counter was set to "R". The timer is then turned. A push of the "serve" button starts the game. The players must anticipate where the ball would land in one of three spaces on the "playing field" marked 1, 2, and 3. The player must then push the corresponding button ''before'' the ball "lands" on the space. If the player is successful in anticipating the ball's space and pushes the button in time, the ball is then "returned" to the opposing player. If the player anticipated wrongly, the ball stops and that player must then serve the ball, giving the opposing player 1 point. Game play continues until either the timer stops or 10 points was earned by one of the players. ''Blip'' is also capable of being played by a single person when the selector switch is set to position 1.

Components

The game is housed in a plastic case with a translucent screen. On the screen is a dashed line dividing the screen in half (and simulating a net) and at either side are the three positions for the ball to land. The upper portion of the case also contains the three position buttons, the serve buttons, the player selector, and the timer dial. The underside contains the wheels to turn the score counters and the battery compartment. It is the timer which provides the motor function to the game. Upon the timer dial being turned, a spring is wound which then, via several gears, drives the arm upon which the LED light (the ball) is mounted. The movement repeats after the ball hits each player's side 36 times, so it is possible to memorise the sequence of buttons to press. The LED (and series resistor) is the only electrical component of the game, and is powered by two AA batteries. As a result, with sufficient ambient light the game is playable without batteries as one can see the unlit LED under the screen.

References

{{Reflist 1970s toys Products introduced in 1977 Takara Tomy