PITFALL!
1982
◼︎ Not only does
Pitfall!
brilliantly adapt the dangers of a jungle into compelling mechanics, but it also delivers hundreds of connected levels on a system designed for single-screen games.
DAVID’S MEMORIES
Most games took place on a single screen. I wanted to improve on game realism, such as putting a realistic human figure in a game with realistic physics, and while I was at it I would exceed the single-screen design. I designed a side-view game such that when the player ran off the right side of the screen he reappeared on the left. But I realised that if I relied on ROM the world could only be about 16 screens wide, so I created a method of algorithmically generating the screens. With that technology I could make the jungle 256 screens wide.”