Did you know that Budweiser – the king of beers – sponsored the production of an arcade game way back in 1983?
Seriously.
It was called Tapper, and was designed as an upright arcade game in which the player controls a bartender who hurriedly serves a steady stream of thirsty clients. The player is tasked with manning four tap handles, each at the end of a long bar. As the incoming patrons advance down their bar tops, the player has to switch between taps, pouring beer and sliding the glasses down the bars – and catching glasses that are returned to him – as the game progresses.
There are a four levels in the game. Players start in a saloon serving cowboys, then progress to a sports bar, then a punk rock bar, and finally into outer space where they serve beer to aliens (obviously).
The game was originally designed as an upright arcade cabinet to be purchased by bars, and as such was designed to look like a bar, with a tap handle controllers, a wood grain bar top, drink holders, and even a brass rail to rest your feet.
Of course, it being a videogame, it was almost immediately construed as an attempt by Budweiser to market beer to children. To avoid this perception – and to sell more units – the producers reworked the game into Root Beer Tapper in 1984 by tweaking the aesthetics and turning the bartender into a soda jerk.
Regardless, the original game can still be found and played in a variety of places, including for free on a variety of internet emulators, as well as ported versions for other platforms. And hey if you’ve got the cash, an original version can be yours for only $6,600 from the Vintage Arcade Superstore!
Bonus: if you recognize that bartender, it might be because he had a cameo in Wreck it Ralph!
Now check out that sweet gameplay:
Love, Food & Beer 