A strange little side quest
Put Linebacker Alley next to the history of platform games and a few unexpected connections appear. Donkey Kong arrived in 1981 with a character called Jumpman, who would later become one of gaming's most recognizable figures: Mario. The broader history adds one more wrinkle. Basketball became an Olympic medal sport in 1936, while women’s basketball joined the Olympic programme in 1976. The details change, but the appeal of learning a system and trying again is remarkably persistent.
