Bio and Gameography of Jim Nitchals (Bug Attack, Microwave, Teleport...)

12/28/2011

Name: Jim Nitchals
Birth: 01/15/62
Death: 06/05/98
Games Created or Co-Created: Asteroid Field, Bug Attack, Star Thief, Microwave, Teleport, Raiders of the Lost Ring, Archon (port), Music Construction Set, Archon 2: Adept (port), Marble Madness (port), Zany Golf, Sim Ant

Other Works: Cavalier Computer, Stella Gets a New Brain (Atari SuperCharger games), F.R.E.E. (Forum for Responsible & Ethical Email)
Cause of Death: Severe brain hemorrhage

Early Apple programmer, then later ardent spam fighter, Jim Nitchals was 36 when he passed away from a severe brain hemorrhage in 1998.

Jim learned quickly that he wanted to dedicate his life to computers and technology, even starting his business Cavalier Computer before graduating high school. As a game programmer, Jim was a welcome addition to the Apple and Macintosh fans. Most of his early games were fairly accurate reproductions of video games found in the arcades, something Apple users didn't have the luxury of playing on their machines.

Thanks to Jim however, they got to play Asteroid Field on the Apple II, an excellent clone of Asteroids. After that, he programmed a Centipede-like game in 1981 called Bug Attack, two years before Atari ported their arcade hit over.

"The author of the game is to be complemented on his packing such a successful combination of imaginative flair and technical expertise into the confines of the Apple II."
-Dave Jones' of Computer Gaming World magazine commenting on Bug Attack

Star Thief was Jim's answer to the video arcade game Rip Off (I still remember that arcade game eating my quarter and living up to its name by not giving me a credit). And Raiders of the Lost Ring took after the arcade game Star Castle.

Of course, Jim wrote original games too, such as Microwave and Teleport, but he tended to favor writing arcade games and ports of other games. He was also quite the musician too, considering his many contributions to sound and music in quite a few games.

It didn't take long for Jim to make a name for himself in the gaming world. But he isn't so much remembered for the games he created. His later work in the anti-spam movement brought him close to celebrity status, at least online. Jim became a staunch opponent of spammers, creating the Forum for Responsible and Ethical Email organization (now http://www.spamfree.org/). His approach however wasn't to shut spammers down, it was to work with them, in hopes to reach some agreement. And even though he gained ground in the movement, getting cooperation from some of the most popular spammers, he still had a long way to go.

Jim's life will be remembered for his games, his fight for the responsible use of email, his brilliance, sensitivity, and most of all, his unwavering faith in himself. He left behind a legacy of creativity and leadership which can never be replaced.

What you may not know

Jim's personal website is still available for viewing here: https://www.igorlabs.com/jim/jim.html
Teleport made use of the phoneme based Votrax speech synthesizer

Portfolio

Title: Asteroid Field
Company: Cavalier Computer
Year: 1980
Platform: Apple II

Title: Bug Attack
Company: Cavalier Computer
Year: 1981
Platform: Apple II

Title: Star Thief
Company: Cavalier Computer
Year: 1981
Platform: Apple II

Title: Microwave
Company: Cavalier Computer
Year: 1982
Platform: Apple II

Title: Teleport (Screen shots and video needed for this game. If you can help, please contact me!)
Company: Cavalier Computer
Year: 1982
Platform: Apple II

Title: Raiders of the Lost Ring (many resources call this game Ring Raiders)
Company: Cavalier Computer
Year: 1983
Platform: Apple II

Title: Archon
Company: Electronic Arts
Year: 1984
Platform: Macintosh (ported from the Atari 800)

Title: Zany Golf (Will Harvey, Ian Gooding, Jim Nitchals, Douglas Fulton)
Company: Electronic Arts
Year: 1988
Platform: Amiga

Other Media

Mike Abbot, Russell Selph, and Jim Nitchals of Cavalier Computer

Sources:
http://www.elisoftware.org/
http://www.wired.com/culture/lifestyle/news/1998/06/12832
http://www.igorlabs.com/jim/index.html
http://news.cnet.com/2100-1023-210019.html
http://news.cnet.com/2100-1023-212060.html&st.cn.fd.tkr.news
http://dadgum.com/giantlist/archive/nitchals.html
http://www.igorlabs.com/about/
Computer Gaming World magazine

14 Comments

Kathy Nitchals

5/18/2012 06:48:23 pm

Jim Nitchals was my younger brother. No words will ever describe how much he is missed. Thank you for the your words to keep him and his effortless work remembered. He was truly a magnificent person. Imagine what he would think if he were here today and saw whats going on? To think of what he would have accomplished...I am sure he is watching us ... Miss you Jim... Kathy

Rob Ottoman link

5/19/2012 01:42:19 am

Thank you for your heartfelt comment Kathy. I wish I had met the guy. During my research, I found so many positive comments about him. He did leave a legacy, and will always be remembered. I agree with you - there's so much more he could have accomplished.

Randy Antler

12/11/2012 09:18:03 am

It is so wonderful to see Jim's life and work remembered here. He was my best friend and mentor in high school and strongly influenced me toward a career in computer software.

Jim was a true genius and well ahead of his time. He routinely did thinks on the computers of the day that were considered to be impossible, such as multi-voice music during game play (bug attack), high-speed screen drawing (asteroid field) and others.

He is sorely missed and I always get misty-eyed when reading anything that reminds me of that time period in my life and my friendship with Jim.

He will always live on in my memory.

Rob Ottoman link

12/11/2012 12:01:57 pm

Wow, what amazing comments. Thank you so much for your contribution to this page, and his legacy.

Doug Ansell

12/23/2012 08:04:25 pm

I love this page. Jim was an amazing guy and one of the most influential people in my life, one of my best friends, and my mentor for Apple II programming, Robotron 2084, music, and chili. Jim introduced me to ELO, Mike Oldfield, and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. He had a wicked sense of humor and in programming techniques, Jim was always so far ahead of the curve.

Often when I see new technology or a new game, I wonder what Jim would have thought of it and wish he could have seen it - this happens to me all the time. Jim foresaw the software emulation of analog hardware years before it happened. I told him at the time... "impossible", but as with every other time this sort of thing happened, he ended up being right.

Jim's contributions are largely unknown outside the industry, but his talents were rivaled by very few people. His passing was way too soon.

Jay Zimmermann

2/28/2013 04:41:47 pm

A friend just happened to mention Jim today in passing, so I was randomly browsing around and I came across this page. I had heard about his sad passing some time back, but so many memories came rushing back again today.

Jim was also a mentor, friend, and huge inspiration for me during my time at Cavalier Computer, and the time I got to spend learning from him was HUGELY instrumental in the direction my life took afterwards.

He had such a great and unique sense of humor, and just as everyone else here has said, his brilliant mind and ability to come up with new techniques and solutions to programming problems was absolutely unrivaled. Thank you, Jim!

(and by the way, Hi Randy!)

Doug Ansell

2/28/2013 07:15:21 pm

Hi Jay!

Rob Ottoman link

3/3/2013 10:55:57 am

Such incredible, heart-felt words from everyone on this page. I miss the guy, and I never even knew about him until a couple years ago!

Kathy Nitchals

1/20/2018 02:20:38 am

Love all of your words for Jim Miss him every day
Keep him in your thoughts, you know he is watching!
Hi Randy!
Hi Jay!
Hi Doug!

Heather link

4/26/2019 09:52:34 am

I love these classic games!

Paul Colaianni

4/27/2019 09:14:06 pm

I know, right!?

Kathy Nitchals

2/27/2020 05:32:18 am

Hi
Happy 2020 to all! What would Jim have to say about how the tech in our world has evolved? His genuine love for what he created and believed in would have been remarkable. He loved life, loved Cindy
his family, doing what he did best (playing softball and drinking beer) LOL. Most of all he loved his computers.
I wish Jim could be here, to see how it's all evovled. His brilliance to the world of technologyy would have been spectacular.
He was an amazing brother and friend , husband to the love of his life, Cindy.
I woke up this am, middle of a dream, a past memory of walking down Mango way to watch fireworks on top of the hill overlooking Del Mar
Racetrack. Jim was always first out the door. I'll never forget how much he loved all the colors.
Miss my brother.
Thankful he was my brother.
Thankful for all his friends he loved and loved him
We dearly love and miss you Jim!

Kathy

Hi Doug
Hi Randy
Hi Russell

Give me a shout any time

Jim Cruz-Youll

12/10/2020 09:56:37 pm

Hello Kathy. I never got to spend time with Jim in person but we were online/phone friends in the 1990s and he was the first real Silicon Valley person who I ever met. He was quite kind to me and help me out of some difficult situations -- a good friend, a good person. I wonder if you have any information about Cindy? I found a Christmas card from her yesterday (I have no idea why that popped up when and where it did). But I wonder about her. And I am grateful to Jim for befriending a complete stranger in Ohio (we had a common interest in solving some problems on the early Internet).

Jean-Michel Decombe

12/19/2022 09:27:18 pm

I came across this page after I downloaded an Apple ][ emulator for macOS called Virtual ][, as well as disk archives of old Apple ][ games. I used to play these games in the late 70s and early 80s, before moving on to the Mac in 1984. I specifically recall the wonderful games that Jim Nitchals created back in the day, which were my favorites because they were original, stylish, and so well crafted. He really was a software artist. I have not kept my Apple ][ or anything related to it... except for the original diskettes and packages for Jim's game, with Microwave being my all time favorite. I still have them in a box even though I can no longer run them. I was sad to hear that Jim passed away so young. One can wonder what really cool stuff he would have created in the 21st century. Best.

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Bio and Gameography of Jim Nitchals (Bug Attack, Microwave, Teleport...)

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