A strange little side quest
Put Batting Champ next to the history of arcade history and a few unexpected connections appear. Pac-Man went on sale in 1980, and its creator Toru Iwatani famously linked the character's shape to a pizza with a slice missing. A second detail makes the picture even better: Archery was already on the Olympic programme in 1900, boxing joined the modern Games in 1904, and basketball became a medal sport in 1936. The details change, but the appeal of learning a system and trying again is remarkably persistent.
