Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube
    Nostalgia Central
    • Home
    • Blog
      • Lists
    • Television
      • TV by Decade
        • TV – 1950s
        • TV – 1960s
        • TV – 1970s
        • TV – 1980s
        • TV – 1990s
      • Comedy
      • Drama
      • Kids TV
      • Variety
      • News & Sport
      • Advertisements
    • Music
      • Music by Decade
        • Music – 1950s
        • Music – 1960s
        • Music – 1970s
        • Music – 1980s
        • Music – 1990s
      • Artists – A to K
        • Artists – A
        • Artists – B
        • Artists – C
        • Artists – D
        • Artists – E
        • Artists – F
        • Artists – G
        • Artists – H
        • Artists – I
        • Artists – J
        • Artists – K
      • Artists – L to Z
        • Artists – L
        • Artists – M
        • Artists – N
        • Artists – O
        • Artists – P
        • Artists – Q
        • Artists – R
        • Artists – S
        • Artists – T
        • Artists – U
        • Artists – V
        • Artists – W
        • Artists – X
        • Artists – Y
        • Artists – Z
      • Artists – 0 to 9
      • Genres
      • Music on Film & TV
      • One-Hit Wonders
      • Playlists
      • Online Radio
    • Movies
      • Movies by Decade
        • Movies – 1950s
        • Movies – 1960s
        • Movies – 1970s
        • Movies – 1980s
        • Movies – 1990s
      • Movies – 0 to 9
      • Movies – A to K
        • Movies – A
        • Movies – B
        • Movies – C
        • Movies – D
        • Movies – E
        • Movies – F
        • Movies – G
        • Movies – H
        • Movies – I
        • Movies – J
        • Movies – K
      • Movies – L to Z
        • Movies – L
        • Movies – M
        • Movies – N
        • Movies – O
        • Movies – P
        • Movies – Q
        • Movies – R
        • Movies – S
        • Movies – T
        • Movies – U
        • Movies – V
        • Movies – W
        • Movies – X
        • Movies – Y
        • Movies – Z
    • Pop Culture
      • Fads
      • Toys & Games
      • Fashion
      • Decor
      • Food & Drink
      • People
      • Technology
      • Transport
    • Social History
      • 1950s Year by Year
      • 1960s Year by Year
      • 1970s Year by Year
      • 1980s Year by Year
      • 1990s Year by Year
      • Events
    Nostalgia Central
    Home»Pop Culture»Toys & Games
    Toys & Games 3 Mins Read

    Air Hockey

    Share
    Facebook Twitter Pinterest WhatsApp Reddit Email

    Ice hockey enthusiast Bob Lemieux dreamed up this popular table game for billiards manufacturers Brunswick back in 1972. Almost instantly, the craze spread across the country, and eventually to the world.

    Every family with a rumpus room or playroom had it. The really cool amusement places had them under black lights with playing pieces made out of fluorescent orange plastic. The official story was that the pucks could move at 200mph!

    Money tournaments sprang up, professional organisations were formed, and an arcade classic was born.

    The game itself was utter simplicity: Using the hand-held, circular “mallets,” players on opposite ends of a table tried to knock a thin, round puck into their opponent’s goal slot. Each goal earned a point, and games were generally played to seven.

    airhockey_001

    What made Air Hockey so innovative were the thousands of tiny holes covering the table, each blasting out a steady stream of air.

    Riding this blanket of air, the puck literally glided across the table, and the lack of friction meant high-speed action for the Air Hockey competitors.

    The fan blowing through the holes in the table was supposed to make the puck slippery. What it actually did was make the puck airborne if hit at the right angle.

    The game prospered through the rest of the 1970’s, as other manufacturers began producing their own tables and equipment. With its one-on-one competition, Air Hockey was perfect for tournament play, and enthusiasts made sure that the tables were packed on weekend nights.

    With the coming of the video game era in the late 70’s and early 80’s, Air Hockey suffered a bit of a setback. It was a simple matter of economics: Three video game cabinets could fit in the same space as one Air Hockey table, leaving many arcade owners with no choice but to pull the plug on this table game favourite.

    As video games entered a downswing in the mid-80’s, Air Hockey staged a comeback.

    Most video games (excepting the occasional Galaga or Centipede) had a popular life of a year or two, maybe even a few months, before they started to collect more dust than quarters. Air Hockey, however, still drew the same faithful following it always had, playing the faithful Tortoise to video games’ speedy, but inconsistent Hare.

    airhockey_002

    Today, Air Hockey and video games have managed to achieve a peaceful co-existence, living side by side in most arcades.

    New table designs, some engineered for speeds in excess of 80 miles per hour (130 kilometres per hour), have maintained the game’s popularity, and professional organisations like the United States Air-Table-Hockey Association (USAA) continue to organise tournaments on a regular basis.

    In the fickle world of the arcade, Air Hockey’s enduring success is a testament to the appeal of simple competition. Unlike video games, there is never a computerised opponent in Air Hockey.

    The game requires at least two living, breathing human beings (and one abused puck) to play, and that’s something that still can’t be beaten, even with a fibreglass mallet.

    Related Posts

    • Aggravation
      Aggravation
      Beginning in 1960, Aggravation managed to bring young and old together around the board for a classic marble race. Each…
    • Computer Space
      Computer Space
      The history of coin-operated video arcade games began not with a whimper, but with several explosive bangs, rendered in simple…
    • Tron
      Tron
      It came as no surprise that Tron hit the arcades at the same time as its 1982 film counterpart. This…
    • Bazaar
      Bazaar
      One of the most frustrating things about almost every pinball game is the gap between the two flippers. No matter…
    • Game & Watch
      Game & Watch
      The Game & Watch handheld electronic games were developed and manufactured by Nintendo and released from 1980 to 1991. The…
    • Breakout
      Breakout
      Designed by future Apple Computer founder Steve Jobs (though Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak reportedly did the bulk of the work),…
    • Candy Land
      Candy Land
      Imagine that the Brothers Grimm invented a board game. Now take out the witches. Welcome to Candy Land. Eleanor Abbott…
    • Cluedo/Clue
      Cluedo/Clue
      The inventor of this British board game was a Birmingham munitions worker named Anthony Pratt. For him, it was a…

    Arcade games
    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest WhatsApp Reddit Email
    Previous ArticleAir Blaster Gun
    Next Article Ant Farm

    Comments are closed.

    Follow us
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
    • Instagram
    You May Also Like
    • Streetcar Named Desire, A (1951)
      Marlon Brando is masterful in this Tennessee Williams story […]
    • Associates, The
      1 9 7 9 – 1 9 8 0 (USA) 13 x 30 minute episodes Three […]
    • Doombolt Chase, The
      1 9 7 8 (UK) 6 x 30 minute episodes When naval Commander David […]
    • Diary of Samuel Pepys, The
      1 9 5 8 (UK) 14 x 30 minute episodes Samuel Pepys personified […]
    • Two Of Us, The
      1 9 8 1  – 1 9 8 2 (USA) 20 x 30 minute episodes Robert […]
    • Big Time, The
      1 9 7 6 – 1 9 7 7  (UK) 1 9 8 0 (UK) Esther Rantzen […]
    Twitter Feed
    Please note


    Nostalgia Central covers the period 1950 to 1999 and contains some words and references which reflect the attitudes of those times and which may be considered culturally sensitive, offensive or inappropriate today.
    Popular Tags
    1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1975 1976 Action Figures Amicus Arcade games Australia Beach movies Beatles Blaxploitation Board games Britpop Canada Crime Disco Disney Doo-Wop Elvis Presley Girl groups Glam Goth Hammer Heavy Metal Irwin Allen Labels Merseybeat Mod revival Motown New Romantic New Wave NWOBHM Oi! One-hit wonders Power Pop Pub rock Punk Radio Scotland Ska Soul music Surf music
    Search Nostalgia Central
    Copyright © 1998, 2022 Nostalgia Central
    • About
    • Contact
    • FAQ

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.