CommaVid was a game developer and publisher for the

Atari 2600 The Atari 2600 is a home video game console developed and produced by Atari, Inc. Released in September 1977 as the Atari Video Computer System (Atari VCS), it popularized microprocessor-based hardware and games stored on swappable ROM cartridg ...

that released six games between 1981 and 1983, plus a programming tool for the console. The company was founded by Dr. Irwin Gaines, Dr. John Bronstein, and Dr. Joseph Biel under the name Computer Magic Video, which was shortened to Com Ma Vid, or CommaVid. It was based in Aurora, Illinois. In addition to developing its own titles, CommaVid ported the arcade game '' Venture'' to the 2600 for

Coleco Coleco Industries, Inc. ( ) was an American company founded in 1932 by Maurice Greenberg as The Connecticut Leather Company. The name "COLECO" is an abbreviation derived from the company's original name which combines the first two letters of "C ...

which was released in 1982. CommaVid's game were mostly swept up in the

video game crash of 1983 The video game crash of 1983 (known in Japan as the Atari shock) was a large-scale recession in the video game industry that occurred from 1983 to 1985 in the United States. The crash was attributed to several factors, including market saturatio ...

, but several, such as ''

Mines of Minos ''Mines of Minos'' is an Atari 2600 maze video game developed and published by CommaVid in 1982. The player controls a mining robot in a maze, fighting off alien attackers. A two-player mode, in which the second player can control an alien, is ...

'', received positive reviews. In 2010 the ''Retroist'' wrote, "CommaVid is one of those companies whose games are hit or miss. But even when it is a miss, the games usually bring something interesting to the table".

Products

Games

The following games were released by CommaVid: *''Cakewalk'', similar to '' Tapper'' in gameplay *''Cosmic Swarm'' *''

'' *''Room of Doom'' *''Stronghold''

MagicCard

''MagiCard'' is an Atari 2600 programming tool on a cartridge that originally came with a 100-page manual and was only available via mail order. According to CommaVid co-owner Gaines, 50 to 100 ''MagiCard'' cartridges were produced.

Video Life

''Video Life'' is a version of the

cellular automaton A cellular automaton (pl. cellular automata, abbrev. CA) is a discrete model of computation studied in automata theory. Cellular automata are also called cellular spaces, tessellation automata, homogeneous structures, cellular structures, tessel ...

known as

Conway's Game of Life The Game of Life, also known as Conway's Game of Life or simply Life, is a cellular automaton devised by the British mathematician John Horton Conway in 1970. It is a zero-player game, meaning that its evolution is determined by its initial ...

for the Atari 2600. ''Video Life'' was only available through a special

mail order Mail order is the buying of goods or services by mail delivery. The buyer places an order for the desired products with the merchant through some remote methods such as: * Sending an order form in the mail * Placing an order by telephone call ...

offer to owners of CommaVid's ''MagiCard''. Fewer than 20 cartridges of ''Video Life'' were made. A 2003 report in the ''

Chicago Reader The ''Chicago Reader'', or ''Reader'' (stylized as ЯEADER), is an American alternative newspaper in Chicago, Illinois, noted for its literary style of journalism and coverage of the arts, particularly film and theater. The ''Reader'' has been ...

'' estimated that cartridges would sell for as much $3000 at the time.

Unreleased

*''Frog Demo'' *''Mission Omega'' *''Rush Hour'' *''Underworld''

References

Atari 2600 Defunct video game companies of the United States Video game companies established in 1981 Video game companies disestablished in 1983 Video game development companies {{videogame-company-stub