LJN Video Art

The LJN Video Art is an educational home video game console that was developed and manufactured by LJN. The console was introduced in the year of 1987, but the exact release date is unknown. Video Art was intended to compete against television instead of the mainstream game consoles at the time, such as the Nintendo Entertainment System and the Sega Genesis. Functionality was similar to basic personal computer paint programs such as MacPaint and Microsoft Paint, and also offered games with a coloring book style. The games also included math, history, and science lessons, starring characters such as Mickey Mouse.

Only a single cartridge unit was ever manufactured for the product, that being the Video Art Activity Cartridge.

Advertisements

The advertisements included a rap-style beat to try and give consumers some interest over the product.^[1] Unfortunately, even with these advertisements, LJN was still unsuccessful at selling the Video Art.

Console flops

Video Art had serious flops that caused the downfall of the product.

The console used metal prong connectors which required screwing them to your TV. The prongs had become outdated at the time, with its last use being in the late 70s. This also required the consumer to use an older TV to be able to use the Video Art. Another flop was the non-existent background music. This meant nothing was there to listen to and keep the user occupied, aside from the games. ^[2]

The system's joystick was also too stiff and had far too much travel to be able to draw with good precision. Squeaking noises were also made when moving the joystick, which annoyed many reviewers.

Loss of factors over time

Over time, a lot of factors had become lost. Introductory prices became unknown, including the console specifications and total units sold. In fact, the rarity of the product was so big, almost no reviews are featured on the Internet.

Critical reception

The Video Art was featured in the 133rd episode of Angry Video Game Nerd, as the last product of "The 12 Days Of Shitsmas" series.^[2] Rolfe had many complaints towards the Video Art, from terrible controls, to the outdated metal prongs. Towards controls, Rolfe's biggest problem was how the joystick could not make a diagonal line. The prongs (which he calls "the devil's ptichforks" due to how they are shaped) were also an issue, since those required the owner to take their time to screw in the prongs to the TV. Another issue, according to him, was the static noises, and how this was immutable. The erase option was available, but he complained how only one pixel was erased and not the entire painting. Due to the Video Art's unreliability towards gaming, it managed to take first position in Rolfe's own "Top 10 Worst Video Game Consoles" (which was made before this particular episode), surpassing the former leader, the Tiger R-Zone portable video game console. The console also managed to be worse than the game "Color The Dinosaur".

One of the members of Gamester81, John, reviewed the Video Art.^[3] Before reviewing the console, he mentioned the commercials were terrible, even calling it worse than the Atari Jaguar's "Do The Math" commercials. After doing so, John came to the conclusion that this was the worst console of all time. According to him, the controls were "broken", and you can pick up a coloring book for cheaper money and still draw easily.

References

External links

• Page from Video Game Bible