Carol Shaw joined Atari in 1978, straight after finishing her master’s degree, and is often called one of the first female video game designers. Her first published game was 3-D Tic-Tac-Toe, four-in-a-row on a 4×4×4 cube. Video Checkers (1980) followed, with a computer opponent that searches moves using alpha-beta pruning.
Activision co-founder Alan Miller was impressed by her checkers game and offered her a job. At Activision she made River Raid (1982), a vertically scrolling shooter whose river is generated as you play, so it never runs out. It was the second best-selling 2600 game of 1983.
Play all three of her games below, right in your browser.
Video Checkers is Atari’s 1980 checkers game for the Atari 2600, programmed by Carol Shaw, who later made River Raid at Activision. You can play against the computer at nine skill levels, play a friend, or try “giveaway” checkers, where the aim is to lose all your pieces first. Sears sold it under the simple name Checkers. It offers a surprisingly clever computer opponent, and you can play it here in your browser.
River Raid is a 1982 vertically scrolling shooter by Activision, designed and programmed by Carol Shaw. You fly a jet up an endless river, shooting tankers, helicopters, jets and bridges, and you can never let the fuel run out. It was the second best-selling Atari 2600 game of 1983 after Ms. Pac-Man. Play it here in your browser, with nothing to install.
3-D Tic-Tac-Toe is Atari’s version of four-in-a-row tic-tac-toe played on a 4×4×4 cube, for the Atari 2600. It was programmed by Carol Shaw, and it was her first published game. You can play against the computer on eight skill levels or against a friend, and it is far harder to win than the paper game you know. You can play it here in your browser.