| Nibbler | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Joseph H. Ulowetz and John M. Jaugilas |
| Publisher(s) | Rock-Ola Manufacturing Corporation |
| Designer(s) | Joseph H. Ulowetz and John M. Jaugilas |
| Platform(s) | Arcade |
| Release date(s) | 1982 |
| Genre(s) | Arcade game |
| Mode(s) | Single and dual player |
Nibbler is an arcade machine by Rock-Ola Manufacturing Corporation. Its gameplay is a variant of Snake: The object is to navigate a virtual snake (or worm) through an enclosed space, while consuming dots along the way. The length of the snake increases with each object consumed, making the game more difficult. The player must also avoid colliding with walls or obstacles, and must also avoid colliding with the snake's own body sections. After a certain number of objects have been eaten, the player progresses to the next level, involving harder obstacles and/or higher game speeds.
Nibbler was the first video game that allowed the player to score a ten-digit score—one billion points. This threshold was reached by Tim McVey at the Twin Galaxies Intergalactic Scoreboard in Ottumwa, Iowa, (The Video Game Capital of the World) on January 17, 1984, scoring 1,000,042,270 points. News of his accomplishment was carried by the wire services and a feature story on his feat was published in the July, 1984 issue of Computer Games Magazine. McVey became the first video game player in gaming history to have a civic day set aside in his honor: "Tim McVey," January 28, 1984. Officials from Rock-Ola, the game's manufacturer, were in attendance to award Mr. McVey a free "Nibbler" arcade machine of his own, for his accomplishment. See these External News Resources:
