Software:Maze Craze

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Short description: 1980 video game
Maze Craze: A Game of Cops n’ Robbers
Box art by James Kelly
Developer(s)Atari, Inc.
Publisher(s)Atari, Inc.
Designer(s)Rick Maurer
Platform(s)Atari 2600
Release1980
Genre(s)Maze
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Maze Craze: A Game of Cops n’ Robbers is a game for the Atari Video Computer System (later renamed the Atari 2600) developed by Rick Maurer and published by Atari, Inc. in 1980. In Maze Craze, two players compete to be the first to escape a randomly generated, top-down maze. Though primarily a two player game, any of the variations that don't involve interaction with the second player can be played solo.[1] Sears rebranded Maze Craze as Maze Mania for its Tele-Games system.[2]

Gameplay

The manual describes the situation as a "maze of city blocks" and the player a red or blue cop on patrol.[1] The cops are represented as squares. The goal is to reach the exit. In multiplayer games, the first player to find their way out wins.

Some variants add robber blocks to the maze which either need to be avoided or captured, depending. Others make the maze either partially or fully invisible, and maze is periodically revealed for a moment or only when the joystick button is pressed. In the "Blockcade" variant, each player can drop a false wall to trick the other player. There are settings to increase or decrease the speed of the cops and robbers and the number of robbers in the maze.

Development

Rick Maurer had been working on a clone of Space Invaders in 1978 for the Atari Video Computer System.[3][4] After a few months of development, he had a playable version of the game. The consumer division of Atari later instructed Maurer to cease further the game, which led to Maurer focusing on coding what would become Maze Craze (1980). Maurer reflected on developing the game, saying he believed it would help him hone his coding skills for the console.[4]

Release

Maze Craze was released for the Atari Video Computer System in 1980.[5]

Maze Craze was re-released in various compilation formats. This includes the Atari 80 in One for Windows in 2003 and the Atari Anthology for PlayStation 2 and Xbox in 2004.[6][7] In 2023, it was released as a free DLC for the Atari 50 (2022) compilation and as part of the pack-in compilation title with the release of the Atari 2600+. [8][9][10][11] It was released on portable devices as part of the Atari Greatest Hits Volume 2 release for the Nintendo DS in 2011.[12]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Maze Craze Manual". Atari, Inc.. 1978. https://archive.org/details/Maze_Craze_1978_Atari. 
  2. ↑ "Maze Mania". https://atariage.com/software_page.php?SoftwareLabelID=885. 
  3. ↑ Weiss, Brett (2014). The 100 Greatest Console Video Games 1977-1987. Schiffer Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7643-4618-7. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Fulton, Steve (August 20, 2008). "Atari: The Golden Years -- A History, 1978-1981". Game Developer. Archived from the original on December 1, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211201123907/https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/atari-the-golden-years----a-history-1978-1981. Retrieved February 18, 2024. 
  5. ↑ "New Games Join Home Video Craze". The Shreveport Journal. November 19, 1980. https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-shreveport-journal-atari-2600-articl/64234005/. Retrieved September 9, 2025. 
  6. ↑ Humphries, Scott (January 27, 2004). "Atari: 80 Classic Games in One Review". IGN. https://www.ign.com/articles/2004/01/28/atari-80-classic-games-in-one-review. Retrieved October 7, 2024. 
  7. ↑ Harris, Craig (November 30, 2004). "Atari Anthology". IGN. https://www.ign.com/articles/2004/11/30/atari-anthology. Retrieved October 7, 2024. 
  8. ↑ Reynolds, Ollie (November 30, 2023). "'Atari 50' is Getting More Games Via Free Updates, 12 Dropping Next Week". NintendoLife. Archived from the original on January 27, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240127234356/https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2023/11/atari-50-is-getting-more-games-via-free-updates-12-dropping-next-week. Retrieved November 30, 2023. 
  9. ↑ Bonthuys, Darryn (December 5, 2023). "Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration Gets a Few More Forgotten Classics Today". GameSpot. Archived from the original on December 5, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231205162812/https://www.gamespot.com/articles/atari-50-the-anniversary-celebration-gets-a-few-more-forgotten-classics-today/1100-6519699/. Retrieved December 5, 2023. 
  10. ↑ Sinclair, Brendan (August 22, 2023). "Atari reveals Atari 2600+ console". Gameindustry.biz. https://www.gamesindustry.biz/atari-reveals-atari-2600-console. Retrieved September 9, 2025. 
  11. ↑ Reed, Chris (November 16, 2023). "Atari 2600+ Console, Games, and Accessories Are Out Tomorrow". IGN. https://www.ign.com/articles/atari-2600-plus-console-games-accessories. Retrieved September 9, 2025. 
  12. ↑ "Atari Greatest Hits Volume 2". Code Mystics. Archived from the original on September 2, 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20110902145110/http://www.codemystics.com/products.shtml#atarids2. Retrieved October 17, 2024. 
  • MobyGames is a commercial database website that catalogs information on video games and the people and companies behind them via crowdsourcing. This includes over 300,000 games for hundreds of platforms.[1] Founded in 1999, ownership of the site has changed hands several times. It has been owned by Atari SA since 2022.

Features

Edits and submissions to the site (including screenshots, box art, developer information, game summaries, and more) go through a verification process of fact-checking by volunteer "approvers".[2] This lengthy approval process after submission can range from minutes to days or months.[3] The most commonly used sources are the video game's website, packaging, and credit screens. There is a published standard for game information and copy-editing.[4] A ranking system allows users to earn points for contributing accurate information.[5]

Registered users can rate and review games. Users can create private or public "have" and "want" lists, which can generate a list of games available for trade with other registered users. The site contains an integrated forum. Each listed game can have its own sub-forum.

History

Logo used until March 2014

MobyGames was founded on March 1, 1999, by Jim Leonard and Brian Hirt, and joined by David Berk 18 months later, the three of which had been friends since high school.[6][7] Leonard had the idea of sharing information about computer games with a larger audience. The database began with information about games for IBM PC compatibles, relying on the founders' personal collections. Eventually, the site was opened up to allow general users to contribute information.[5] In a 2003 interview, Berk emphasized MobyGames' dedication to taking video games more seriously than broader society and to preserving games for their important cultural influence.[5]

In mid-2010, MobyGames was purchased by GameFly for an undisclosed amount.[8] This was announced to the community post factum , and the site's interface was given an unpopular redesign.[7] A few major contributors left, refusing to do volunteer work for a commercial website.{{Citation needed|date=June 2025} On December 18, 2013, MobyGames was acquired by Jeremiah Freyholtz, owner of Blue Flame Labs (a San Francisco-based game and web development company) and VGBoxArt (a site for fan-made video game box art).[9] Blue Flame Labs reverted MobyGames' interface to its pre-overhaul look and feel,[10] and for the next eight years, the site was run by Freyholtz and Independent Games Festival organizer Simon Carless.[7]

On November 24, 2021, Atari SA announced a potential deal with Blue Flame Labs to purchase MobyGames for $1.5 million.[11] The purchase was completed on 8 March 2022, with Freyholtz remaining as general manager.[12][13][14] Over the next year, the financial boost given by Atari led to a rework of the site being built from scratch with a new backend codebase, as well as updates improving the mobile and desktop user interface.[1] This was accomplished by investing in full-time development of the site instead of its previously part-time development.[15]

In 2024, MobyGames began offering a paid "Pro" membership option for the site to generate additional revenue.[16] Previously, the site had generated income exclusively through banner ads and (from March 2014 onward) a small number of patrons via the Patreon website.[17]

See also

  • IGDB – game database used by Twitch for its search and discovery functions

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sheehan, Gavin (2023-02-22). "Atari Relaunches The Fully Rebuilt & Optimized MobyGames Website". https://bleedingcool.com/games/atari-relaunches-the-fully-rebuilt-optimized-mobygames-website/. 
  2. ↑ Litchfield, Ted (2021-11-26). "Zombie company Atari to devour MobyGames". https://www.pcgamer.com/zombie-company-atari-to-devour-mobygames/. 
  3. ↑ "MobyGames FAQ: Emails Answered § When will my submission be approved?". Blue Flame Labs. 30 March 2014. http://www.mobygames.com/info/faq7#g1. 
  4. ↑ "The MobyGames Standards and Practices". Blue Flame Labs. 6 January 2016. http://www.mobygames.com/info/standards. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Miller, Stanley A. (2003-04-22). "People's choice awards honor favorite Web sites". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. 
  6. ↑ "20 Years of MobyGames" (in en). 2019-02-28. https://trixter.oldskool.org/2019/02/28/20-years-of-mobygames/. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Plunkett, Luke (2022-03-10). "Atari Buys MobyGames For $1.5 Million". https://kotaku.com/mobygames-retro-credits-database-imdb-atari-freyholtz-b-1848638521. 
  8. ↑ "Report: MobyGames Acquired By GameFly Media". Gamasutra. 2011-02-07. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/report-mobygames-acquired-by-gamefly-media. 
  9. ↑ Corriea, Alexa Ray (December 31, 2013). "MobyGames purchased from GameFly, improvements planned". http://www.polygon.com/2013/12/31/5261414/mobygames-purchased-from-gamefly-improvements-planned. 
  10. ↑ Wawro, Alex (31 December 2013). "Game dev database MobyGames getting some TLC under new owner". Gamasutra. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/game-dev-database-mobygames-getting-some-tlc-under-new-owner. 
  11. ↑ "Atari invests in Anstream, may buy MobyGames". November 24, 2021. https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2021-11-24-atari-invests-in-anstream-may-buy-mobygames. 
  12. ↑ Rousseau, Jeffrey (2022-03-09). "Atari purchases Moby Games". https://www.gamesindustry.biz/atari-purchases-moby-games. 
  13. ↑ "Atari Completes MobyGames Acquisition, Details Plans for the Site's Continued Support". March 8, 2022. https://www.atari.com/atari-completes-mobygames-acquisition-details-plans-for-the-sites-continued-support/. 
  14. ↑ "Atari has acquired game database MobyGames for $1.5 million" (in en-GB). 2022-03-09. https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/atari-has-acquired-game-database-mobygames-for-1-5-million/. 
  15. ↑ Stanton, Rich (2022-03-10). "Atari buys videogame database MobyGames for $1.5 million". https://www.pcgamer.com/atari-buys-videogame-database-mobygames-for-dollar15-million/. 
  16. ↑ Harris, John (2024-03-09). "MobyGames Offering “Pro” Membership". https://setsideb.com/mobygames-offering-pro-membership/. 
  17. ↑ "MobyGames on Patreon". http://www.patreon.com/mobygames. 
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