This Shuttle Voyage game is a Chinese copy of Ninendo's Game and Watch series of electronic games. Game and Watch was a successful line of products from Nintendo that generated enough profit for the company to invest heavily in researching and developing the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) and the Gameboy. This ensured the company's survival and dominance through a competitive period of electronic game industry development, consumption and growth.

The game has a monochrome LCD (liquid crystal display) screen on which the player can control the movement of characters through a themed set of tasks. The balance between an achievable outcome and a degree of difficulty invited the user to play the game again and again, thus achieving one of the principal goals of electronic game design.

This electronic game comes from a group of twelve items donated by Michael Henry, which together provide a glimpse of play and family life in one Australian household.

Made in China, maker unknown

Used by the donor Michael Henry (born 1973), his brother Jason and sister Karen. The Henry family lived at Bankstown. Michael Henry told the acquiring curator 'Shuttle Voyage was a cheap Chinese imitation of Nintendo games. We got it in our Christmas stockings one year'.

Electronic game, 'Shuttle Voyage', metal / plastic, maker unknown, China, used by the Henry family, Bankstown, New South Wales, Australia, 1983

Electronic Shuttle Voyage game, consisting of a rectangular console with yellow plastic casing and gold metallic front, LCD display screen with permanent graphics incorporated. The LCD characters move through this display. There are red control buttons and a brown keyboard. The game also has an alarm clock and calculator functions. No packaging.

Made: China; 1983

Impressed on back 'RATING: DC3V-0.12mW/BATTERY: LR44 (OR SR44) x 2/IF THIS PRODUCT MALFUNCTION/PRESS ACL OR TRY NEW BATTERIES./PAT. PEND. 1983/CODE NO. 7/85'.

2006/112/12

1983

75 mm

112 mm

10 mm