Sky Jinks

Sky Jinks
Developer(s)Activision
Publisher(s)Activision
Programmer(s)Bob Whitehead[1]
Platform(s)Atari 2600
Release
Genre(s)Racing
Mode(s)Single-player

Sky Jinks is a vertically scrolling, air racing-themed video game developed by Bob Whitehead for the Atari 2600[2] and published by Activision in 1982.

Gameplay

In Sky Jinks, the player pilots a low-flying Seversky XP-41[3] airplane through a time trial. To complete a game level, the player must bank around a prescribed number of pylons (left for blue and right for red). The XP-41 can bank left and right, as well as accelerate and decelerate. Flying into a pylon (which counts), tree, or hot air balloon slows down the plane.

The game has four courses: Polo Grounds, Aero Race, Love Field, and Speedy Meadows. There is also a pseudo-randomly-generated course called Thompson Tourney.[3]

Legacy

In the mid-1980s, social psychologist Roy Baumeister used the game in his psychological research into performance anxiety.[4]

Activision anthologized Sky Jinks in the PlayStation title A Collection of Activision Classic Games for the Atari 2600 (1998) and in the multi-platform collection Activision Anthology (2002).

See also

References

  1. ^ Hague, James. "The Giant list of Classic Game Programmers".
  2. ^ "Sky Jinks". Atari Age. Retrieved 24 May 2013.
  3. ^ a b Weiss, Brett (2007). Classic Home Video Games, 1972–1984: A Complete Reference Guide. Jefferson: McFarland & Company. p. 105. ISBN 9780786432264. OCLC 124036221. Retrieved 25 May 2013.
  4. ^ Beilock, Sian (2010). Choke: Use the Secrets of Your Brain to Succeed When It Matters Most. New York: Free Press. pp. 244–45. ISBN 9781416596172. OCLC 464593186. Retrieved 25 May 2013.