In January of 1985, an On-Line service launched that was specifically built for Atari computers equipped with 48k of RAM: the Games Computers Play Network (GCP).
No Commodore 64 support. No Apple. No Mac. No DOS. Atari, and only Atari. And only those with 48k RAM upgrades.
The entire interface of GCP was graphical… and navigated by using a joystick (with optional keyboard commands). From a central “City” you could choose where to go, who to send messages to (using a “Telephone”) and what games to play.
Games were really the stand-out feature of the service. As was pretty obvious from the “Games Computer Play” name. And, among them, the crowning jewel was known as “Lord of Space”.
“Lords of Space” — which had a working title of “SpaceLanes” prior to release, and is mentioned in an October 1985 issue of Antic magazine — was a space strategy game. There does not appear to be any way to play this game nowadays (as it was tightly tied to the GCP online service), which is a major bummer. As it looks to be a rather fun looking strategy / building / exploring game.
There were a few other games on the system, though not a huge number.
Like any On-Line service, GCP had “forums” and “chat rooms”. What I find fascinating is that GCP put a heavy emphasis on role playing game and Sci-Fi. Even going so far as to promote the usage of the GCP network to host and run card and paper, D&D style campaigns.
There exists a 217 page manual for Games Computers Play. It covers everything from making backups to how to use the system… and even how to configure your modem on the Atari 8bit computer.
The overall attitude of the service was decidedly lighthearted. Goofy. Friendly. A good example are the “Service Terms” of GCP. Which begins as follows:
See? Goofy. Kinda dig it.
So. How much did using GCP cost?
Those are in 1980s dollars.
$6 per hour. $15 per hour during “prime time” (7am to 6pm).
Use the service for 5 hours, during the middle of the day? $75.
This wasn’t exactly cheap, even by standards of the day. Similar services (like PlayNET) regularly ran hourly rates in the $3 to $5 range.
Fun only-somewhat-related side note: The PlayNET service was, during these days, strictly for the Commodore 64. A few years later, PlayNET would form the basis of what would become America On-Line (AOL).
It truly is a shame there is no way to fully experience the Games Computers Play Network now, in the current day. It is a fascinating, and fun, looking system — which clearly blazed a lot of trails.
