Episode 439: Q*Bert (Patreon)

You can tick off a handful of video game characters that even people who are indifferent to the medium know through sheer exposure, at least if they're older than 30. Pac-Man. Donkey Kong. Mario. Sonic. And... Q*Bert. What makes Q*Bert so unique is that nothing much has ever come of him since his debut 40 years ago—Gottlieb and other developers have made a few desultory efforts over the years to franchise the little guy up, but none of them have stuck. The problem, I suspect, is that original arcade game was so complete and fully realized there's just not much else you can do with it without abandoning the essence of what makes Q*Bert, you know, Q*Bert.

This week, Kevin Bunch and I have the privilege of chatting with Q*Bert's primary creator, Warren Davis, who has recently published a memoir on the origins of the game and his recollections of working at a variety of major coin-op companies during the tempestuous 1980s. Perhaps he will shed light on the disconnect between Q*Bert's huge pop culture footprint and slim bibliography...

Art this episode is by Nick Wanserski, with edits courtesy of Greg Leahy. Music selections this time around:

13:26 - Q*bert (PSX, 1999): Wizard Stages

21:47 - Q*bert (PSX, 1999): Engineer Stages

30:07 - Q*bert (PSX, 1999): Q*dina Stages

38:37 - Q*bert (GBC, 2000): Triplets | Saturday Supercade Theme Song

51:47 - Q*bert (NES, 1989): Control Setup

58:37 - Queen: "Princes of the Universe" (Highlander TV Title Theme)

1:07:05 - Us vs. Them: Mothership Energy Barriers

Closing - Q*bert (Mobile, 2019): Main Theme