''Touch Me'' is an

arcade game An arcade game or coin-op game is a coin-operated entertainment machine typically installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are presented as primarily game of skill, games of skill and in ...

first released by Atari Inc. in 1974, and later as a handheld game in 1978. It can be described as a ''Simon Says''-like game that involves touching a series of

button A button is a fastener that joins two pieces of fabric together by slipping through a loop or by sliding through a buttonhole. In modern clothing and fashion design, buttons are commonly made of plastic but also may be made of metal, wood, or ...

s that light up and produce

sound In physics, sound is a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave through a transmission medium such as a gas, liquid or solid. In human physiology and psychology, sound is the ''reception'' of such waves and their ''perception'' by the br ...

s. The player must observe a

sequence In mathematics, a sequence is an enumerated collection of objects in which repetitions are allowed and order matters. Like a set, it contains members (also called ''elements'', or ''terms''). The number of elements (possibly infinite) is cal ...

of blinking

electric light Electric light is an artificial light source powered by electricity. Electric Light may also refer to: * Light fixture, a decorative enclosure for an electric light source * Electric Light (album), ''Electric Light'' (album), a 2018 album by James ...

s 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 a mistake.

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 Pinball games are a family of games in which a ball is propelled into a specially designed table where it bounces off various obstacles, scoring points either en route or when it comes to rest. Historically the board was studded with nails call ...

and

video game A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...

s of the day; it was not very successful. In 1977,

Ralph Baer Ralph Henry Baer (born Rudolf Heinrich Baer; March 8, 1922 – December 6, 2014) was a German-born American inventor, game developer, and engineer. Baer's Jewish family fled Germany just before World War II and Baer served the American war ...

saw potential in the "

Simon Says Simon Says is a children's game for three or more players. One player takes the role of "Simon" and issues instructions (usually physical actions such as "jump in the air" or "stick out your tongue") to the other players, which should be foll ...

" concept behind the ''Touch Me'' game. He copied Atari's game, adding colored buttons and musical sound effects, and created the '' Simon'' handheld 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. An emulated handheld version of ''Touch Me'' was included in the 2022 compilation ''

Atari 50 ''Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration'' is a 2022 video game compilation and interactive documentary developed by Digital Eclipse and published by Atari to commemorate the company's 50th anniversary. It is composed of newly shot interviews wi ...

''.

References

{{Reflist

External links

Touch Me at Coin-Op Museum
1974 video games Atari arcade games Arcade games Handheld electronic games Audio games