# Dishaster > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Dishaster > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Dishaster.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dishaster > Source revision: 1319888305 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) 1983 video game for the Atari 2600 1983 video game Dishaster Box cover Developer Zimag Publisher Zimag Platform Atari 2600 Release 1983 Genre Action Mode Single-player ***Dishaster*** is an [action game](/source/Action_game) released for the [Atari 2600](/source/Atari_2600) in 1983 by [Zimag](/source/Zimag).[1] Another version of the game was released by [Bit Corporation](/source/Bit_Corporation) under the name *Dancing Plates* which features oriental-themed graphics and adds eight game variations.[2] *Dishaster* was inspired by the [circus](/source/Circus) tradition of [keeping spinning plates suspended on poles](/source/Plate_spinning).[1] The player controls a girl attempting to keep a group of several spinning plates balanced on poles from falling. The game received negative reviews; criticism focused on the game's repetition and monotony. ## Gameplay Four plates are in play. The girl can stabilize wobbling dishes by pressing the button on the controller.[3] If a plate falls, the player is able to capture it if the girl touches it before it hits the ground, and a new one appears at the top of the pole. The number of poles to spin varies between the selected skill level; there are six on the easiest setting, and ten on the hardest.[1] The player loses if they let four dishes hit the ground.[3] ## Reception The reviewer for *TV Gamer* magazine wrote, in 1983, "*Dishaster* may be enjoyed by very young gamers, but it is not sophisticated enough for any battle-hardened arcade gamers."[4] Non-contemporary reviews were negative. Author Brett Weiss stated that *Dishaster* was "as bad as its unfunny title implies" and that it was "a hopelessly repetitive game". While Weiss found the graphics "convincing," he remarked that "the plate-spinning action gets old in a hurry".[5] Al Backiel, a reviewer for the newsletter and website *Digital Press*, wrote: *Dishaster* gets to be so monotonous so quickly because if you play in a systematic manner it's too easy: I move sequentially from left to right and repeat. Yep, really tough pattern. I was able to max out the easy version without dropping a plate after several hours. I was hoping something interesting would happen, but the score just resets to zero after passing 999,999.[2] Another *Digital Press* writer, Kevin Oleniacz, included the game in his "The Worst of the Atari 2600" list, writing: "The lack of sound effects, details or any background whatsoever while maneuvering around one unchanging screen would surely claim this as a DISASTER".[6] ## See also - *[PlatterMania](/source/PlatterMania)* ## References 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Weiss_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Weiss_1-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-Weiss_1-2) Weiss, Brett Alan. ["Dishaster"](https://web.archive.org/web/20141211142749/http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=9353). *[Allgame](/source/Allgame)*. Archived from [the original](http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=9353) on December 11, 2014. Retrieved June 6, 2014. 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-digitpress_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-digitpress_2-1) ["Dishaster"](https://archive.org/stream/Digital_Press_Issue_31_1996-07_Santulli_Joe_US#page/n29/mode/2up). *Digital Press* (31): 29–30. Summer 1996. Retrieved June 6, 2014. 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-inst_3-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-inst_3-1) [*Dishaster instruction booklet*](https://web.archive.org/web/20150214163725/http://atariage.com/manual_html_page.html?SoftwareLabelID=142). Zimag. 1983. p. 2. Archived from [the original](http://atariage.com/manual_html_page.html?SoftwareLabelID=142) on 2015-02-14. Retrieved 2014-06-06. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** ["Dishaster"](https://archive.org/stream/TV_Gamer_1983-06_Boytonbrook_GB#page/n21/mode/2up). *TV Gamer*: 22. June 1983. Retrieved June 6, 2014. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** Weiss, Brett (March 7, 2012). [*Classic Home Video Games, 1972–1984: A Complete Reference Guide*](https://books.google.com/books?id=BzxTtml8Jq4C&pg=PA53). McFarland. p. 53. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [9780786487554](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9780786487554). 1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** ["The Worst of the Atari 2600"](https://archive.org/stream/Digital_Press_Issue_01_1991-09_Santulli_Joe_US#page/n3/mode/2up). *Digital Press* (1): 5. September–October 1991. Retrieved June 6, 2014. ## External links [Portal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Contents/Portals): - [Video games](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Video_games) --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Dishaster](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dishaster) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dishaster?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.