- Sep 20, 2007
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Jack Tramiel died today at the age of 83 . For those who don't know who he was, here's a little brief. Tramiel was a holocaust survivor and founder of Commodore Business Machines. The very same Commodore that built the Commodore 64, and later acquired Atari.
Upon hearing the news of his death, a bell went off in my head. We may, perhaps, finally solve one of gaming's greatest mysteries.
In 1982, Atari launched a contest. Not just any contest, but an epic quest of legendary proportions. Swordquest. It was a gaming competition which involved four games based on mythological symbols and ancient elements. Earthworld, Fireworld, Waterworld, and Airworld.
Gamers who beat the games and gathered the correct clues hidden within. If they found all the clues, they'd get to compete in a playoff. Whoever found the most clues in 90 minutes would win one of four prizes. But not just any prize. Each one was worth a staggering $25,000 each. A considerable sum in the early 80s.
The winners of Earthworld won an 18k gold talisman studded with diamonds and the 12 birth stones. Steven Bell of Detroit won it. However, the Talisman has been lost; melted down and sold.
The winner of Fireworld won a jewel encrusted gold and platinum chalice. Michael Rideout won the chalice and still owns it.
Then the proverbial feces hit the fan. The 1983 video game crash hit and Atari was desperate for money. The winner was supposed to win a jewel studded gold crown. They received cash instead. The winner of airworld would get a solid white jade "philosopher's stone" in a golden box. Airworld was never made. Nobody knows what happened to these prizes.
Then there's the ultimate prize. The winners of all four previous games would compete in a tournament. The last man standing would win a jewel encrusted solid gold sword worth $50,000. Worth over $100,000 today.
Nobody knows what happened to it either. However, the missing prizes indeed existed and were on display at the previous SwordQuest tournaments.
It has long been speculated that Jack Tramiel was in possession of these prizes. Several people claim to have seen the sword hanging in his house. Now that he's gone, I wonder if we'll get a chance to find out if he actually owned them. It's certainly one of gaming's great mysteries.
Upon hearing the news of his death, a bell went off in my head. We may, perhaps, finally solve one of gaming's greatest mysteries.
In 1982, Atari launched a contest. Not just any contest, but an epic quest of legendary proportions. Swordquest. It was a gaming competition which involved four games based on mythological symbols and ancient elements. Earthworld, Fireworld, Waterworld, and Airworld.
Gamers who beat the games and gathered the correct clues hidden within. If they found all the clues, they'd get to compete in a playoff. Whoever found the most clues in 90 minutes would win one of four prizes. But not just any prize. Each one was worth a staggering $25,000 each. A considerable sum in the early 80s.
The winners of Earthworld won an 18k gold talisman studded with diamonds and the 12 birth stones. Steven Bell of Detroit won it. However, the Talisman has been lost; melted down and sold.
The winner of Fireworld won a jewel encrusted gold and platinum chalice. Michael Rideout won the chalice and still owns it.
Then the proverbial feces hit the fan. The 1983 video game crash hit and Atari was desperate for money. The winner was supposed to win a jewel studded gold crown. They received cash instead. The winner of airworld would get a solid white jade "philosopher's stone" in a golden box. Airworld was never made. Nobody knows what happened to these prizes.
Then there's the ultimate prize. The winners of all four previous games would compete in a tournament. The last man standing would win a jewel encrusted solid gold sword worth $50,000. Worth over $100,000 today.
Nobody knows what happened to it either. However, the missing prizes indeed existed and were on display at the previous SwordQuest tournaments.
It has long been speculated that Jack Tramiel was in possession of these prizes. Several people claim to have seen the sword hanging in his house. Now that he's gone, I wonder if we'll get a chance to find out if he actually owned them. It's certainly one of gaming's great mysteries.
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