Game TV adverts

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Juan F. Ramirez
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Game TV adverts

Post by Juan F. Ramirez »

I've been searching for TV adverts of Spectrum games for a long time, after finding this one:

https://youtu.be/q_zov-7tiGE

I found it curious and interesting as I don't remember any TV advert of games in Spain, back in the day.

Some time later I found:

https://youtu.be/lBAC9DJB9-o

and

https://youtu.be/5jVVMFMJtwg

I couldn't find more adverts so I think it was not very common to advert games on TV (unlike hardware) but maybe I'm wrong so it'd be great if anyone finds any others, please post them here.

But the next thing I thought was: might it be possible to include these videos in its corresponding game entry in the database, embedded, like the rzx videos? What do you think?

In my opinion it's a cool feature, so a big YES! :)
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Re: Game TV adverts

Post by DouglasReynholm »

They clearly look (well, sound actually) like UK ads, but I was around during the period and don't recall seeing a single one of these before, perhaps they just weren't shown much - I watched a lot of TV in the 80's! :geek: Nice find thanks Juan, would love to see more of this.
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Re: Game TV adverts

Post by 8BitAG »

They could've very easily been limited to just a single region of the country, given how ITV worked back then. Or perhaps these are adverts that appeared on promotional VHS tapes.
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Re: Game TV adverts

Post by Swainy »

I believe that these promo adverts were just used in shops such as WH Smith’s, Boots ect.
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Re: Game TV adverts

Post by toot_toot »

These are definitely from in-store promo tapes. The big stores like WH Smiths or John Menzies used to have these running on the background advertising games, especially when they stopped having the ability to play the games in store. Sure there were adverts for the actual computers (Sinclair, Commodore, Amstrad) but I don't recall ever seeing a TV advert for a home computer game in the 1980s.

However I do remember seeing this advert and thinking "I know that music"!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUVs7vXNZiw

The advert now reminds me a bit of Daft Punk's Around The World!
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Re: Game TV adverts

Post by toot_toot »

I found these WH Smith in-store computer promo vids from 88 and 89

https://youtu.be/-EdtZaOwnCM

https://youtu.be/UYBHXxlMH7w
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Re: Game TV adverts

Post by Einar Saukas »

Juan F. Ramirez wrote: Sat Sep 21, 2019 10:45 pm But the next thing I thought was: might it be possible to include these videos in its corresponding game entry in the database, embedded, like the rzx videos? What do you think?

In my opinion it's a cool feature, so a big YES! :)
Yes!

If anyone can provide a list of videos, with the corresponding ID (or SC link) to the game corresponding to each one, then I can easily import this information into ZXDB.
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Re: Game TV adverts

Post by Juan F. Ramirez »

Einar Saukas wrote: Sun Sep 22, 2019 10:15 pm
Juan F. Ramirez wrote: Sat Sep 21, 2019 10:45 pm But the next thing I thought was: might it be possible to include these videos in its corresponding game entry in the database, embedded, like the rzx videos? What do you think?

In my opinion it's a cool feature, so a big YES! :)
If anyone can provide a list of videos, with the corresponding ID (or SC link) to the game corresponding to each one, then I can easily import this information into ZXDB.
Hunchback - 2383
https://youtu.be/q_zov-7tiGE

Rasputin - 4030
https://youtu.be/lBAC9DJB9-o

Match Day - 3067
https://youtu.be/5jVVMFMJtwg

On this last video, D. T. Decathlon (1217) and Gift from the Gods (2041) also appeared at the end of the ad, so I don't know if they should be included as well...
Last edited by Juan F. Ramirez on Sun Sep 22, 2019 10:59 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Juan F. Ramirez
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Re: Game TV adverts

Post by Juan F. Ramirez »

I'm afraid there are no many single-games TV adverts out there, but if anyone happens to find anyone, please post it here!
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Re: Game TV adverts

Post by Juan F. Ramirez »

Learning Box (29715):
https://youtu.be/FCGz8KUzCrk
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Re: Game TV adverts

Post by DouglasReynholm »

8BitAG wrote: Sun Sep 22, 2019 8:27 am They could've very easily been limited to just a single region of the country, given how ITV worked back then. Or perhaps these are adverts that appeared on promotional VHS tapes.
I was going to make that point, but the voice-overs were 'BBC English', so that threw me off a bit. Also, promo VHS ads seems the likely answer.
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Re: Game TV adverts

Post by toot_toot »

Watching them again, the Ocean ones might actually be TV adverts as they do say “available from good computer game shops” (or similar), so maybe those adverts were shown in the North West of England, seeing as Ocean were based in Manchester. But the Rasputin one Id say was from a WH Smith in-store type of promo video.
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Re: Game TV adverts

Post by mickfarrow »

I remember an advert for Ocean's Rambo being shown before the film on a rental video.
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Re: Game TV adverts

Post by DouglasReynholm »

mickfarrow wrote: Tue Sep 24, 2019 10:56 am I remember an advert for Ocean's Rambo being shown before the film on a rental video.
Yes of course I'd forgotten about that. Also Ocean managed to squeeze a promo for the Robocop game onto the films VHS release I think.
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Re: Game TV adverts

Post by stupidget »

DouglasReynholm wrote: Tue Sep 24, 2019 1:35 pm
mickfarrow wrote: Tue Sep 24, 2019 10:56 am I remember an advert for Ocean's Rambo being shown before the film on a rental video.
Yes of course I'd forgotten about that. Also Ocean managed to squeeze a promo for the Robocop game onto the films VHS release I think.
That's one of the many things I loved about the 80's. Only back then could you advertise a computer game played predominantly by kids on the VHS tape of one of the greatest and most violent 18 rated films of all time :-) . You'd not get that these days with all these half baked snowflakes who are petrified of their own shadows :lol:
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Re: Game TV adverts

Post by Juan F. Ramirez »

Just came across this cool Ocean compilation advert on Twitter. Unfortunately I can't find it on YouTube.

https://twitter.com/CommodoreBlog/statu ... 99745?s=19

It'd be great if someone provides the YT link.
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Re: Game TV adverts

Post by Alessandro »

Italian ZX Spectrum advert with Horace Goes Skiing, first months of 1984 if memory serves me well.

[media]https://youtu.be/VNNwqZuBQQU[/media]
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Re: Game TV adverts

Post by Juan F. Ramirez »

More adverts from this twitter account which posts many interesting adverts from Imagine & Ocean:

https://twitter.com/CommodoreBlog/statu ... 00992?s=19

https://twitter.com/CommodoreBlog/statu ... 69411?s=19

Clearly saved from a VHS tape, but I couldn't find them on YT
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Re: Game TV adverts

Post by Juan F. Ramirez »

Another interesting ad from this guy. I'd like to know where does he get these marvellous stuff...

https://twitter.com/CommodoreBlog/statu ... 61857?s=09

Nothing found on YouTube
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Re: Game TV adverts

Post by DouglasReynholm »

Juan F. Ramirez wrote: Mon Oct 14, 2019 8:24 pm Another interesting ad from this guy. I'd like to know where does he get these marvellous stuff...

https://twitter.com/CommodoreBlog/statu ... 61857?s=09

Nothing found on YouTube
Now available on Spectrum and Atari ST - that well known port "Dream Team".
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Re: Game TV adverts

Post by Morkin »

Alessandro wrote: Mon Sep 30, 2019 7:39 pm Italian ZX Spectrum advert with Horace Goes Skiing, first months of 1984 if memory serves me well.

[media]https://youtu.be/VNNwqZuBQQU[/media]
Cool... 8-)

...Though whoever's playing is pretty crap at it... :lol:
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Re: Game TV adverts

Post by SteveSmith »

Morkin wrote: Tue Oct 15, 2019 12:22 pm ...Though whoever's playing is pretty crap at it... :lol:
I played this myself for the first time in about 30 years just the other day. Bloody hell it's difficult (for me). I think crossing the road is more luck than judgement.
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Re: Game TV adverts

Post by PeterJ »

Hardware rather than software, but this is an advert for the +2. Interesting that it doesn't feature any in-game action.

https://youtu.be/3EEvrTeWSTk
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Re: Game TV adverts

Post by PeterJ »

And, the Spectrum+

https://youtu.be/mh0g73JvFbo
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Re: Game TV adverts

Post by PeterJ »

And, one more for the +2 Action Pack

https://youtu.be/EsbUwZ9rOk0
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