Basketball (1979 video game)


Basketball is an arcade game released in May 1979 by Atari Inc. It was notable as the first basketball video game to make use of a trackball for player movement and the first to use the angled side view which became a commonly used perspective in the basketball video games that followed.

Gameplay

Basketball supports one and two player modes and uses a trackball to control each player's movement. At the start of each game, the song "Sweet Georgia Brown" is played. Players must first gain possession of the ball and move towards their opponent's goal. When in position for a shot, the pushbutton is held until the player's arm is at a suitable height and the button is released. Shots can be blocked by an opponent, and, when dribbling, an opponent can steal the ball. The winner is the player with the highest score when the clock runs out.

Reception