1973: 40th anniversary of Gotcha
Let’s enter the way-back machine – before Donkey Kong, before Pac-Man, before Space invaders, there was Gotcha.  Atari’s Gotcha was an early arcade game and the first commercially successful maze game. Its premise was quite simple: two players weaved their way around a maze, one the “pursuer,” the other the “pursued.” Points were scored when the pursuer caught the pursued, and the game started over.

Okay, so it wasn’t the most cerebral game, but neither was Pong, frankly. These early games got people into the arcades playing together, and that was the real point. Gotcha paved the way for other, more successful maze games, like Death Race and Pac-Man.

Now we want to hear your favorite arcade memories. Ever played Gotcha or some of Atari’s early games? Let us know in the comments below!