1980s
Tapper
1983 · Action · Arcade
Overview
Tapper is a classic 1980s action game developed by Marvin Glass and Associates for Arcade.
Deep Dive
Tapper is a classic 1980s action game developed by Marvin Glass and Associates for Arcade.
Developer Story
Tapper was designed by Marvin Glass and Associates and released by Midway in 1983. Players served beer to increasingly impatient bar customers, catching empty mugs before they fell and tips left on the counter. The game was originally sponsored by Budweiser and shown in bars — later sanitised to "Root Beer Tapper" for locations that objected to alcohol content. The bar itself scrolled between rounds to reveal new, themed settings.
Did You Know?
- Tapper was originally sponsored by Budweiser and served in bars and pubs — one of the first games with a corporate brand partnership.
- A non-alcoholic "Root Beer Tapper" version was produced for venues that objected to beer imagery.
- Catching the empty mugs before they fell off the end of the bar required tracking multiple lanes simultaneously.
- Tips left on the counter gave bonus points but required moving away from beer-serving duty to collect them.
