5 never-ending stories, A tale of two cities – Philips Magnavox Videogames and the Entertainment Revolution Trigger Happy User Manual

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5

NEVER-ENDING STORIES



A tale of two cities

Los Angeles is a game of SimCity played by a maniac.
Six-lane freeways gridlocked with sports utility
vehicles pump out untold cubic tons of exhaust fumes,
enveloping the city in a permanent yellow smog. It’s
more or less compulsory to drive any distance more
than ten yards, but you’re not allowed to smoke a
cigarette. In fact, thanks to designer Will Wright’s
inbuilt bias toward public transport, it wouldn’t actually
be possible to build Los Angeles in his videogame. This
satirical dystopia is too weird to be anything but real.
It’s also the venue for the world’s largest annual
videogame trade show, E3. The bustling steel-
andconcrete cathedral of the Los Angeles Convention
Center is roaring with the combined sound effects and

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