River Raid, programmed by Carol Shaw and published by Activision in 1982 for the Atari 2600, puts the player in command of a fighter jet flying nonstop over a procedurally generated river, destroying enemy boats, helicopters, and planes while managing fuel that constantly drains and can only be refilled by flying over the river's own fuel tanks. It was one of the first vertical shooters to build its levels algorithmically rather than by hand, giving it a sense of endless progression that was rare for 1982. With this game, Carol Shaw also became one of the first publicly recognized female designers in the history of commercial video games.
If you liked this one
