 | Air Hockey |
Manufacturer:
Brunswick, others
Release History:
1972 - Air Hockey - Brunswick
Greatness is often found in simplicity. And when it comes to arcade games, there is no greater embodiment of simplicity than Air Hockey, a game that can be learned in less than a minute and is still played, almost 40 years since its inception, all around the world. It came upon the scene in the early 70s, and soon after, the distinctive click-clack sounds of two players battling it out could be heard in every arcade across the country.
There is a little bit of disagreement over who
invented the Air
Hockeygame. One story suggests that it was
the sole creation of Bob Lemieux, an ice hockey enthusiast who dreamed up the
game and sold it to the well-known billiard table manufacturer, Brunswick.
Records paint a slightly different story, however, as the patent lists three
Brunswick employees – Phil Crossman, Bob Kenrick and Brad Baldwin, who in 1969,
invented the frictionless surface the game is played upon. Regardless, Bob Lemieux
is credited with resurrecting their shelved invention and refining the idea
into the classic arcade game known today.
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