Blockade (video game)
| Industry | Arcade video games |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1970 |
| Headquarters | San Diego , United States |
Blockade is an arcade video game created by Lane Hauck and Ago Kiss for Gremlin, launched in November 1976. This competitive two-player game features each participant maneuvering an arrow that leaves a persistent trail, aiming to avoid crashing into walls or trails over a predetermined number of rounds. Blockade is recognized as the originator of the widely popular snake games category, inspiring numerous imitators.
Lane Hauck, a self-taught programmer, joined Gremlin prior to their entrance into the arcade market. After working on a physics-related challenge using assembly language, he developed the fundamental gameplay mechanic of leaving an impassable trail behind the player's arrow. Positive internal reception led Gremlin to develop and test market Blockade, which gained significant attention at the 1976 Music Operators of America trade event in Chicago. Nonetheless, being new to arcade production, Gremlin faced rapid competition from companies such as Atari, Inc., Ramtek, and Meadows Games, who released similar games and caused Gremlin to lose several pre-orders.
Gameplay
In Blockade, two players control arrows using push-button inputs to alter direction. As the arrows move, they leave behind a continuous block trail, effectively creating barriers on the playing field. Colliding with any obstacle—whether it is a player-created trail or the screen's edge—results in an explosion sound effect and awards a point to the opposing player.
The match concludes after each player accumulates a set number of crashes, which arcade operators can configure to range between three and six.
Development
Gremlin, established in San Diego in 1970 as a coin-operated arcade manufacturer, initially specialized in Wall games—static displays simulating sports such as baseball. Lane Hauck, holding degrees in physics and engineering, taught himself Assembly language on a DEC PDP-8 computer and began designing handheld devices featuring simple games like Moo and Blackjack.
Without prior experience in microprocessor programming at Gremlin, Hauck developed Fooswall, a Wall game utilizing microprocessors, marking Gremlin’s initial transition toward digital gaming technology. While investigating a physics problem known as the Drunk and the Lamppost, Hauck programmed an arrow that moved randomly but remained near a lamppost. He then adapted this concept so that the arrow could not revisit previously lit squares, leading to a two-player game where participants avoid collisions while leaving trails—an early form of interactive video gaming.
Hauck incorporated sound effects into the game and presented it to Gremlin’s founder Frank Fogleman, who authorized public trials under the name Blockade. After acquiring a cabinet and monitor, testing took place at a miniature golf facility where strong player interest and revenue were observed. Building on this success, Hauck expanded the prototype into a four-player version titled Commotion by November 1976.
Release
Blockade was introduced at the 1976 Music Operators of America (MOA) Expo in Chicago, where Gremlin received orders totaling 3,000 units. The company soon realized its limited expertise with wooden cabinets and television monitors. Despite initial enthusiasm, widespread counterfeiting and restricted consumer demand shortened the product’s commercial viability. Rivals quickly launched similar titles including Atari's Dominos, Ramtek's Barricade, Bally's Checkmate (part of the Bally Astrocade), and Meadows Games' Bigfoot Bonkers. Due to its close resemblance to Blockade, Ramtek’s Barricade prompted legal threats from Gremlin; these were withdrawn after Ramtek agreed not to distribute their version. Dennis Koble from Atari described Blockade as "really fun and very popular," acknowledging its influence across the industry.
When Gremlin finally shipped Blockade in November 1976, market demand had diminished substantially, resulting in sales falling far short of initial pre-orders and leaving Gremlin with surplus circuit boards, cabinets, and monitors. At that time, Gremlin had no legal protections against clones. The company subsequently filed patents for Blockade, receiving expedited examination due to rampant copying; however, it took approximately eighteen months to obtain approval—by which point Hauck remarked that "no one even remembered Blockade," highlighting the limited effectiveness of patents within the gaming sector.
Reception
In November 1977, Play Meter identified Blockade as Gremlin's top-performing arcade title, sharing the 10th spot with Atari's Indy 4.
Contemporary reviews emphasized its appeal in competitive play: Ray Pasziewicz, a coin operator from Baltimore, commended the game at MOA for its captivating mechanics. Ralph C. Lally II referred to it as "likely the most played game at the event" and praised it as an "excellent illustration of a well-designed game built on a straightforward idea," forecasting that it might achieve influence comparable to that of Tank.
Looking back, Matt Fox awarded Blockade four stars out of five in The Video Games Guide, noting its minimalist visuals but highlighting its enduring charm as "simple, competitive, and irresistibly engaging entertainment."
Legacy
The arcade game Fortress was inspired by Lane Hauck’s observation of a mother and daughter playing Blockade. By 1977, Gremlin had not produced any major arcade successes following Blockade, which eventually led to its acquisition by Sega on September 29, 1978.
Blockade is credited with initiating the snake genre, leading to the creation of numerous titles including various arcade imitations, the Atari Video Computer System release Surround (1977), the 1982 single-player home computer game Snake Byte, and Nokia’s popular 1998 mobile game Snake.
Dennis Koble, who developed Atari’s Dominos, clarified in a 2020 interview that his game was not influenced by Blockade, mentioning he had encountered similar concepts on ARPANET and CompuServe prior to Gremlin’s launch.