1. Insert Quarter 2. Avoid Klingons

[+kisrael]

The Steve Jobs biography says:

 

In addition, he intuitively appreciated the simplicity of Atari’s games. They came with no manual and needed to be uncomplicated enough that a stoned freshman could figure them out. The only instructions for Atari’s Star Trek game were “1. Insert quarter. 2. Avoid Klingons.”

 

Star Trek: Strategic Operations Simulator was about 4 or 5 years after this is taking place and is by Sega anyway.

 

Does anyone know what this is? Could it be Starship 1? The instructions are quoted twice in the book but that doesn't mean they're 100% accurate...

[ComputerSpaceFan]

Could he be referring to For-Play's Star Trek?

 

[Madaracs]

Could he be referring to For-Play's Star Trek?

 

 

The date is right. That game came out in 1972. He went to college and dropped out in 1974.

[+kisrael]

Weird though, the bio seems to be sure it was an Atari-made game, or else the story around it doesn't make as much sense. I'd be more likely that details like "Star Trek" and "Klingons" were wrong, but I dunno.

[Emehr]

I don't know but that would make a great T-shirt.

[Brian O]

I think he was thinking of Pong's "Avoid missing ball for high score" instructions.

 

-B

[+kisrael]

Dragonstomper, yeah, Pong's instructions are truly a bit of poetry.

 

(For joustpong I grew it to "Press Button to Flap. Avoid Missing Ball for High Score."-- less poetic, but I am proud that my controller scheme is much simpler than Pong's complex potentiometer)

 

Its intereting how both the klingons instruction and Pong's do invite the user to play and explore with the controls in order to work out how to interact with the system.

[mr. toast]

The instructions are quoted twice in the book but that doesn't mean they're 100% accurate...

 

Which book is this?

[Mirage]

The instructions are quoted twice in the book but that doesn't mean they're 100% accurate...

 

Which book is this?

 

Steve Jobs, by Walter Isaacson

[+Allan]

The author probably just made it up. Or Steve just made it up to make a reference to a time when games were simpler. My guess would be the first one.

 

Allan