Editing GameLine (section)

{{Short description|Dial-up system}}
{{More citations needed|date=March 2012}}

'''GameLine''' was a dialup game distribution service for the [[Atari 2600]],<ref name="Electronic Games Magazine June 1983">{{cite journal | magazine=Electronic Games Magazine |date=June 1983 | pages=32–36 | title=Games on the Phone | first=Arnie | last=Katz | url=https://archive.org/stream/electronic-games-magazine-1983-06/Electronic_Games_Issue_16_Vol_02_04_1983_Jun#page/n31/mode/2up | access-date=November 28, 2015}}</ref> developed and operated by Control Video Corporation (CVC, now AOL).<ref>{{cite web|last=Vinciguerra|first=Robert|title=A Complete History of Online Console Gaming in the United States|url=http://www.revrob.com/sci-a-tech-topmenu-52/38-a-complete-history-of-online-console-gaming-in-the-united-states|work=The Rev. Rob Times|publisher=revrob.com |access-date=October 3, 2017|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20141014170527/http://www.revrob.com/sci-a-tech-topmenu-52/38-a-complete-history-of-online-console-gaming-in-the-united-states|archive-date=October 14, 2014}}</ref> Subscribers could install the proprietary modem and storage [[ROM cartridge|cartridge]] in their home game console, accessing the GameLine service to [[download]] games over a [[telephone line]]. GameLine had an exclusive selection of games, and its pioneering business model eventually gave rise to [[America Online]]. Despite being ahead of its time, it wasn't very popular, possibly due to its price of $60 for the hardware, $15 for the membership fee, and $1 per game, which you could only keep for a week.

In 1983, cable pioneer [[William von Meister]] was looking for a way to use his modem transmission technology, which was previously acquired in ill-fated attempts of sending music to [[cable companies]]. Legal issues caused cable providers to step away from the service, leaving Von Meister with a delivery tool and no content.

He then converted his variable speed adaptive modem technology to download games from central servers to individual households. This allowed users to dial a system and, for a fee, download games to their GameLine modules. The game would typically work for 5-10 plays, after which the user would have to connect to GameLine again and pay for another download.<ref name="CVC GameLink">{{cite web|title=CVC GameLink|url=http://metalmisfit.wordpress.com/tag/cvc-gameline/|publisher=The Metal Misfit|access-date=27 March 2012}}</ref>

The "Master Module" has 8 KB of RAM and a 1,200 [[Bytes per second|Bps]] modem,<ref>{{cite magazine|title=No. 9 Games by Wire |magazine=[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]] |issue=29|publisher=[[Imagine Media]]|date=May 1997 |page=26}}</ref> and physically resembles an oversized silver Atari cartridge.  It has a phone jack on the side that was used to link the Master Module with the CVC computers. The module is able to transmit with pulse or tone dialing, allowing the unit to be versatile in the field.<ref name="Dean Gillett">{{cite web|title=Opinion: DLC isn’t the devil |url=http://gaminghud.com/articles/dlc-isnt-the-devil|publisher=Gaming HUD|access-date=27 March 2012|author=Dean Gillett|date=May 15, 2011}}</ref> The games available on the GameLine service were all from third-party gamemakers, the largest of which was [[Imagic]]. CVC tried, but failed to obtain licensing agreements from the largest game makers, such as [[Atari]], [[Activision]], [[Coleco]], [[Mattel]], and [[Parker Brothers]].<ref name="AtariAge">{{cite web | url   = http://www.atariage.com/2600/archives/gameline.html?SystemID=2600 | title = Remembering the Gameline | first = Dan | last = Skelton | work = [[AtariAge]] | access-date = February 18, 2012 }}</ref>