1982
Mike Wallington
Arcade Attack is a short film that begins as a history of
arcade amusements, in particular pinball and its contrast with the sudden rise
of video games in the late seventies/early eighties. In the final part of its short 26 minute
runtime, it morphs into something else entirely. It played quite a bit on HBO
when I was young and definitely left an impression on me. It’s a progenitor of
the short film, “Pixels.”
The film opens with images of old coin operated games, while
a creepy mechanical sailor laughs; slowly we are introduced to three
characters. Pinball Wizard (Geoff
Harvey), a man with a vast collection and a vast knowledge of pinball machines;
Defender (Stephen Highfield), a man obsessed with playing Defender and
expounding upon its intricacies; and Edwardian Dreams (Tommy Hogan), a
shirtless rockabilly with tattoos matching his favorite pinball machine. The film alternates between showing various
pinball machines and classic videos games. Eventually this conflict between the
proponents of both types of games spills out into animated mayhem as characters
from pinball machines do battle with hordes of space invaders throughout the
city.
Even watching an older VHS copy of this film, all the
machines are lovingly photographed. You really get a sense of the craftsmanship
that goes into making a pinball cabinet as well as the elegant simplicity and
frantic action of older video games. The characters are fleshed out in simple
strokes, although some of the dialog feels a bit dated. The animation is the real draw here, it is
vibrant and beautiful. The battle feels pitched and exciting but with plenty of
humorous moments.
As a kid of course I rooted for the invaders, but in
watching it recently, I realized the film instilled in me a true love for
pinball. Defender remarks that he doesn’t really like pinball because it’s just
the player versus the laws of nature, there’s no mind to test you. I think
that’s what draws me to pinball, there’s a pureness there that rarely occurs in
manufactured experiences like video games and film.
It’s a brilliant, fun film and an excellent look at game
culture in its infancy. The animation is lovely to behold. Highly
recommended and available on Youtube.
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