Episode 68
Ep.68 – Bow Down Before Your Corporate Overlords: Tapper and the Strange History of Marketing in Games
Tapper (Arcade, 1983)
A Trip Down Memory Card Lane · David Kassin and Robert Kassin
December 16, 202159m 0sExplicit
Audio is streamed directly from the publisher (r.zencastr.com) as published in their RSS feed. Play Podcasts does not host this file. Rights-holders can request removal through the copyright & takedown page.
Show Notes
In 1983, Tapper hit arcades with brass footrails, drink holders, and Budweiser-branded tap handles, making it one of the first widely recognized advergames. Developed by Marvin Glass and Associates and released by Bally Midway, it cast players as bartenders sliding beers to thirsty patrons while snagging empty mugs and tips. Our conversation explores its sponsorship roots, Sega’s Japanese distribution, and the later switch to Root Beer Tapper after concerns about marketing alcohol to kids. From there, we widen the lens to the advergame genre, revisiting oddities like Chex Quest, Yo! Noid, M.C. Kids, Pepsiman, and Burger King’s Sneak King. We even touch on America’s Army and unreleased curiosities like Drac’s Night Out. Join us as we pour one out for corporate gaming tie-ins on today’s trip down Memory Card Lane.