Editing Pole Position (section)

==Reception==
{{Video game reviews
|Allgame = {{rating|3|5}} (Arcade)<ref name="Allgame">{{cite web |last1=Cook |first1=Brad |title=Pole Position - Review |url=http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=10740&tab=review |website=[[Allgame]] |publisher=All Media Network |access-date=January 19, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141114201835/http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=10740&tab=review |archive-date=November 14, 2014 |date=1998}}</ref>
|CVG = Positive (Arcade)<ref name="CVG18"/> <br /> 34/40 (Atari VCS)<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Computer and Video Games]]|title=Software Reviews|page=31|issue=26 (December 1983)|date=16 November 1983|url=https://archive.org/details/computer-video-games-magazine-026/page/n30/mode/1up}}</ref> <br /> 85% (Atari VCS)<ref name="CVG">{{cite journal |title=Complete Games Guide |journal=[[Computer and Video Games]] |date=16 October 1989 |issue=Complete Guide to Consoles |pages=46–77 |url=https://retrocdn.net/images/9/98/CompleteGuideToConsoles_UK_01.pdf#page=46}}</ref>
|EuroG = 6/10 (retrospective)<ref name="EuroG">{{cite web |last1=Wild |first1=Kim |title=Pole Position |url=https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/pole-position-review |website=[[Eurogamer]] |publisher=[[Gamer Network]] |access-date=January 19, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191010111459/https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/pole-position-review |archive-date=October 10, 2019 |date=October 29, 2007}}</ref>
|YSinclair = {{rating|4|5}} (Spectrum)<ref>{{cite journal|title=Joystick Jury|journal=[[Your Sinclair|Your Spectrum]]| date=April 1985 |issue=13|url=http://www.worldofspectrum.org/showmag.cgi?mag=YourSpectrum/Issue13/Pages/YourSpectrum1300049.jpg|access-date=11 February 2012|page=49}}</ref>
|rev1 = ''[[Computer Gamer]]''
|rev1Score = {{rating|4.5|5}} (Spectrum)<ref>{{cite journal|title=Pole Position|journal=[[Computer Gamer]]|date=September 1985|issue=6|url= http://www.worldofspectrum.org/showmag.cgi?mag=ComputerGamer/Issue06/Pages/ComputerGamer0600064.jpg|access-date=11 February 2012|page=64}}</ref>
|rev2 = ''Computer Games''
|rev2Score = Classic (home computers)<ref name="CG1985">{{cite magazine |title=1985 Software Buyer's Guide |magazine=Computer Games |date=February 1985 |volume=3 |issue=5 |pages=11–8, 51–8 |url=https://archive.org/details/Computer_Games_Vol_3_No_5_1985-02_Carnegie_Publications_US/page/n13/mode/2up}}</ref>
|rev3 = ''[[Electronic Games]]''
|rev3Score = Positive (Arcade)<ref name="sharpe198306"/>
|rev4 = ''[[Telematch]]''
|rev4Score = {{Rating|6|6}} (2600)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kultpower.de/archiv/heft_telematch_1983-06_seite24|title=Kultpower Archiv: Komplettscan Telematch 6/1983|website=www.kultpower.de|access-date=2015-09-11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304191343/http://www.kultpower.de/archiv/heft_telematch_1983-06_seite24|archive-date=2016-03-04|url-status=dead}}</ref><br />{{Rating|5|6}} (Vectrex)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kultpower.de/archiv/heft_telematch_1984-03_seite28|title=Kultpower Archiv: Komplettscan Telematch 3/1984|website=www.kultpower.de|access-date=2015-09-11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180209002921/http://www.kultpower.de/archiv/heft_telematch_1984-03_seite28|archive-date=2018-02-09|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|rev5 = ''Video Games''
|rev5Score = Positive (Arcade)<ref name="VideoGames"/>
|award1Pub = [[Electronic Games|Arcade Awards]] (1983)
|award1=[[List of Game of the Year awards|Coin-Op Game of the Year]]<ref name="award">{{cite magazine|title=Coin-Op Game of the Year|magazine=[[Electronic Games]]|date=January 1984|volume=2| issue=23|url=https://archive.org/details/ElectronicGames/Electronic%20Games%20Issue%2023%20%28January%201984%29/page/n77|page=77}}</ref>
|award2Pub = [[Electronic Games|Arkie Awards]] (1984)
|award2=[[List of Game of the Year awards|Computer Game of the Year]] ({{nowrap|Certificate of Merit}})<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Coin-Op Game of the Year|magazine=[[Electronic Games]] |date=January 1985|volume=3|issue=35|url=https://archive.org/details/ElectronicGames/Electronic%20Games%20Issue%2031%20%28January%201985%29/page/n14/mode/1up|page=28}}</ref>
|award3Pub = ''[[Softline (magazine)|Softline]]'' (1984)
|award3=Most Popular Program: Atari ({{nowrap|Fourth Place}})<ref name="stgame19840304">{{cite news | url=http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1984&pub=6&id=16 | title=The Best and the Rest | work=St.Game | date=Mar–Apr 1984 | access-date=28 July 2014 | pages=49}}</ref>
}}

In Japan, ''Game Machine'' magazine listed ''Pole Position'' as the highest-grossing [[1982 in video games|arcade game of 1982]].<ref>{{cite magazine|title="Pole Position" No. 1 Video Game: ''Game Machine''{{'}}s "The Year's Best Three AM Machines" Survey Results|magazine=[[:ja:ゲームマシン|Game Machine]]|issue=207|publisher=[[:ja:アミューズメント通信社|Amusement Press, Inc.]]|date=1 March 1983|page=30|url=https://onitama.tv/gamemachine/pdf/19830301p.pdf#page=16}}</ref> ''Game Machine'' later listed it in their June 1, 1983 issue as the second top-grossing upright arcade unit of the month,<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Game Machine's Best Hit Games 25 - アップライト, コックピット型TVゲーム機 (Upright/Cockpit Videos)|magazine=Game Machine|issue=213|publisher=Amusement Press, Inc.|date=1 June 1983|page=29|lang=ja}}</ref> before it returned to being the top-grossing game of the month in October 1983.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Best Hit Games 25|magazine=[[:ja:ゲームマシン|Game Machine]]|issue=222|publisher=[[:ja:アミューズメント通信社|Amusement Press, Inc.]]|date=15 October 1983|page=35|lang=ja|url=https://onitama.tv/gamemachine/pdf/19831015p.pdf#page=18}}</ref> Internationally, ''Pole Position'' was the most popular game in 1983.<ref>{{cite book |chapter=Racing Games Roundup: Facts |title=[[Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition]] |date=2008 |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/guinnessworldrec00guin_0/page/153 |publisher=Little Brown Books |page=154|isbn=9781904994213}}</ref> In Europe, it was a top-grossing arcade game in 1983.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Drive a Laser Racer! Grand Prix |magazine=[[Computer and Video Games]] |date=16 October 1983 |issue=25 (November 1983) |page=31 |url=https://archive.org/details/computer-video-games-magazine-025/page/n30}}</ref>

In the United States, it sold over 21,000 [[arcade cabinet]]s for an estimated {{US$|61 million|long=no}} (${{formatprice|{{inflation|US|61000000|1982}}}} adjusted for inflation) by 1983.<ref name="atari_memo2">{{cite web|last=Fujihara|first=Mary|title=Inter Office Memo|url=http://www.atarigames.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=49:atari-sales-estimates-for-other-manufactures-2&catid=5:atari-inter-office-memos&Itemid=5|publisher=[[Atari]]|access-date=18 March 2012|date=1983-11-02|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150705035754/http://www.atarigames.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=49:atari-sales-estimates-for-other-manufactures-2&catid=5:atari-inter-office-memos&Itemid=5|archive-date=2015-07-05}}</ref><ref name="atari_production">{{cite web|title=Atari Production Numbers Memo|url=http://www.atarigames.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=47:atari-production-numbers-memo&catid=5:atari-inter-office-memos&Itemid=5|publisher=[[Atari Games]]|access-date=18 March 2012|date=4 January 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130120084806/http://www.atarigames.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=47%3Aatari-production-numbers-memo&catid=5%3Aatari-inter-office-memos&Itemid=5|archive-date=20 January 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> In addition, US coin drop earnings averaged {{US$|9.5 million|long=no}} ({{US$|{{inflation|US|9.5|1982}} million|long=no}} adjusted for inflation) per week<ref>{{cite book |last1=Lendino |first1=Jamie |title=Attract Mode: The Rise and Fall of Coin-Op Arcade Games |date=27 September 2020 |publisher=Steel Gear Press |page=220 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=d6wCEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA220}}</ref> ($450 weekly per machine).<ref>[http://www.vasulka.org/archive/Writings/VideogameImpact.pdf#page=13 Video game mass impact]</ref> On the US ''RePlay'' arcade charts, it topped the upright cabinet charts for seven months in 1983, from March<ref>{{cite magazine |title=RePlay: The Players' Choice |magazine=RePlay |date=March 1983}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |title=RePlay: The Players' Choice |magazine=RePlay |date=April 1983}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |title=RePlay: The Players' Choice |magazine=RePlay |date=May 1983}}</ref> through August<ref>{{cite magazine |title=RePlay: The Players' Choice |magazine=RePlay |date=June 1983}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |title=RePlay: The Players' Choice |magazine=RePlay |date=July 1983}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |title=RePlay: The Players' Choice |magazine=RePlay |date=August 1983}}</ref> and again in December.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=RePlay: The Players' Choice |magazine=RePlay |date=December 1983}}</ref> It also topped the US ''[[Play Meter]]'' arcade charts for six consecutive months from March<ref>{{cite magazine |title=The Top 15 Arcade Games: March 15, 1983 |magazine=Video Games |date=May 1983 |volume=1 |issue=8 |page=82 |url=https://archive.org/details/Video_Games_Volume_1_Number_08_1983-05_Pumpkin_Press_US/page/n81/mode/1up}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |title=Play Meter's Equipment Poll: Top Videos |magazine=[[Play Meter]] |date=May 1, 1983 |volume=9 |issue=8 |page=16 |url=https://archive.org/details/play-meter-volume-9-number-8-may-1st-1983-600dpi/Play%20Meter%20-%20Volume%209%2C%20Number%208%20-%20May%201st%2C%201983%20%28Compressed%29/page/16/mode/1up}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |title=The Top 12 Arcade Games: May 15, 1983 |magazine=Video Games |date=July 1983 |volume=1 |issue=10 |page=82 |url=https://archive.org/details/Video_Games_Volume_1_Number_10_1983-07_Pumpkin_Press_US/page/n81}}</ref> through August 1983,<ref>{{cite magazine |title=The Top Arcade Games: June 15, 1983 |magazine=Video Games |date=August 1983 |volume=1 |issue=11 |page=82 |url=https://archive.org/details/Video_Games_Volume_1_Number_11_1983-08_Pumpkin_Press_US/page/n81/mode/1up}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |title=Top 15 Arcade Games |magazine=Video Games |date=September 1983 |volume=1 |issue=12 |page=82 |url=https://archive.org/details/Video_Games_Volume_1_Number_12_1983-09_Pumpkin_Press_US/page/n81/mode/1up}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |title=Top 20 Arcade Games |magazine=Video Games |date=October 1983 |volume=2 |issue=1 |page=82 |url=https://archive.org/details/Video_Games_Volume_2_Number_01_1983-10_Pumpkin_Press_US/page/n81/mode/1up}}</ref> and then topped the street locations chart in November 1983.<ref name="November">{{cite magazine |title=Play Meter's Equipment Poll: Top Videos |magazine=[[Play Meter]] |date=November 15, 1983}}</ref> It ended the year as the highest-grossing arcade game of 1983 in North America,<ref name="final_lap_twin">{{cite web|last=Gifford|first=Kevin|title=Final Lap Twin|url=http://magweasel.com/2011/03/16/i-love-the-pc-engine-final-lap-twin/|publisher=MagWeasel|access-date=28 April 2012|date=March 16, 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170630023458/http://magweasel.com/2011/03/16/i-love-the-pc-engine-final-lap-twin/|archive-date=2017-06-30}}</ref> according to ''RePlay''<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Top Hits of Last 5 Years |magazine=RePlay |date=March 1987}}</ref> and the Amusement & Music Operators Association (AMOA),<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Around The Route |magazine=[[Cash Box]] |date=26 November 1983 |page=32 |url=https://archive.org/details/cashbox45unse_24/page/32 |publisher=Cash Box Pub. Co.}}</ref> and again became the highest-grossing [[1984 in video games|arcade game of 1984]] in the United States.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Michael Jackson Sweeps AMOA Awards; 'Pole Position' Wins In Games Division |magazine=[[Cash Box]] |date=November 10, 1984 |pages=31, 33 |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Cash-Box/80s/1984/CB-1984-11-10.pdf#page=31}}</ref> Several years after its release, it was still one of the top five highest-grossing [[1985 in video games|arcade video games of 1985]].<ref>{{cite magazine |title=AMOA Expo '85: 1985 AMOA Award Nominees |magazine=RePlay |date=November 1985 |volume=11 |issue=2 |pages=62, 64, 66 |url=https://archive.org/details/re-play-volume-11-issue-no.-2-november-1985-600DPI/RePlay%20-%20Volume%2011%2C%20Issue%20No.%202%20-%20November%201985/page/62}}</ref>

The console version topped the UK sales charts in late 1983.<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Computer and Video Games]]|title=Video Gaming: Top Ten|pages=40–1|issue=26 (December 1983)|date=16 November 1983|url=https://archive.org/details/computer-video-games-magazine-026/page/n39/mode/2up}}</ref> In the United States between 1986 and 1990, the Atari 2600 version sold {{formatnum:{{#expr:128682+194486+206406+33855+14852}}|}} units for {{US$|{{#expr:710102+1115886+1528926+239073+48259}}|long=no}}, the Atari 5200 version sold {{formatnum:{{#expr:9455+2993+44}}|}} units for {{US$|{{#expr:47416+14965+220}}|long=no}}, and the version for [[Atari 8-bit computers]] version sold {{formatnum:{{#expr:(140+36)+1157+7067+576+228}}|}} units for {{US$|{{#expr:(1327+341)+12154+84385+5711+2096}}|long=no}}, adding up to {{formatnum:{{#expr:578281+12492+9204}}|}} units sold and {{US$|{{#expr:3642246+62601+106014}}|long=no|1986|round=-5}} grossed between 1986 and 1990.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Vendel|first=Curt|date=May 28, 2009|title=Site News|url=http://www.atarimuseum.com/whatsnew/2009-MAY-28.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101206090952/http://www.atarimuseum.com/whatsnew/2009-MAY-28.html|archive-date=2010-12-06|access-date=2021-11-27|website=Atari Museum}}</ref>

===Reviews===
Upon its North American debut at AMOA 1982, it was reviewed by ''Video Games'' magazine, which listed it among the show's top ten games. They compared it favorably with Sega's ''[[Turbo (video game)|Turbo]]'' (1981), referring to ''Pole Position'' as "Turbo Deluxe" in "a speedway, not a cross-country race". They called ''Pole Position'' the "ultimate test of driving skill" for racing players.<ref name="VideoGames"/> ''[[Electronic Games]]'' reviewed the arcade game in 1983, writing that it "keeps the action on track from start to finish" with "challenging play", noting the gameplay is "reasonably faithful to real life" Formula One races. They also praised the sound effects and "solid, realistic graphics", stating it has "very rich color images" and "dimensional depth to the graphics".<ref name="sharpe198306">{{cite news | url=https://archive.org/details/Electronic_Games_Volume_01_Number_16_1983-06_Reese_Communications_US/page/n91 | title=Insert Coin Here | work=Electronic Games | date=June 1983 | author=Sharpe, Roger C. | pages=92–97}}</ref> They gave it the 1983 [[Electronic Games#Awards|Arcade Award]] for [[List of Game of the Year awards|Coin-Op Game of the Year]], praising the racing gameplay, "beautiful graphics" and "breathtaking" scenery as well as "the two-[[Tournament|heat]] format for the race itself".<ref name="award" />

''[[Computer and Video Games]]'' reviewed the arcade game in 1983, writing that it "is simply the most exhilarating [[Sim racing|driving simulation]] game on the market". They compared it favorably with ''[[Turbo (video game)|Turbo]]'', stating that, while ''Turbo'' "featured better landscapes", it "can't match the speed, thrills and skill behind this new race game". They said ''Pole Position''{{'}}s "graphics are sophisticated and believable", noting that cars "turning corners are shown in every graphic detail of the maneuvre". They also praised the gameplay, concluding that "trying to hold a screaming curve or overtake" offers "thrills to compare with the real racetrack".<ref name="CVG18">{{cite magazine |title=Arcade Action |magazine=[[Computer and Video Games]] |date=16 March 1983 |issue=18 (April 1983) |pages=30–1 |url=https://archive.org/details/cvg-magazine-018/page/n29/mode/2up}}</ref> It was considered the all-time best racing/driving game by ''[[InfoWorld]]'' in 1983<ref>{{cite journal |title=The Industry |journal=[[InfoWorld]] |date=5 December 1983 |volume=5 |issue=49 |page=155 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6C8EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA155 |publisher=InfoWorld Media Group, Inc.}}</ref> and ''Computer Games'' in early 1985.<ref name="CG1985"/>

When reviewing the Atari 8-bit version, ''InfoWorld'' called it "by far the best road-race game ever thrown on a video screen" with "bright and brilliant" graphics,<ref name="mace19831107">{{cite news | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0C8EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA73 | title=Electronic Antics | work=InfoWorld | date=1983-11-07 | access-date=15 February 2015 | author=Mace, Scott | pages=73–74}}</ref> and reiterated the recommendation in ''InfoWorld's Essential Guide to Atari Computers'',<ref name="mace1984">{{Cite book |last=Mace |first=Scott |url=https://archive.org/details/InfoWorlds_Essential_Guide_to_Atari/page/n83/mode/2up?view=theater |title=InfoWorld's Essential Guide to Atari Computers |publisher=Harper & Row |year=1984 |isbn=978-0-06-669006-3 |pages=74}}</ref> but said the Commodore 64 version "looks like a rush job and is far from arcade-game quality".<ref name="mace19840409">{{cite news | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jC4EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA50 | title=Atarisoft vs. Commodore | work=InfoWorld | date=1984-04-09 | access-date=4 February 2015 | author=Mace, Scott | pages=50}}</ref> ''Computer Games'' magazine criticized the Commodore conversions for lacking various features from the arcade original, giving the C64 version a mixed review and the VIC-20 version a negative review.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Conversion Capsules: Hit Games in New Formats |magazine=Computer Games |date=December 1984 |volume=3 |issue=4 |pages=62–3 |url=https://archive.org/details/Computer_Games_Vol_3_No_4_1984-12_Carnegie_Publications_US/page/n61/mode/2up}}</ref> ''Computer and Video Games'' reviewed the Atari 2600 version, stating it is "the best driving game available" on the Atari VCS.<ref name="CVG"/> When reviewing the [[Atari 5200]] version, ''Hi-Res'' in 1984 found "the playability of the game to be limited and the graphics to be the strongest aspect of the game". The magazine preferred [[Adventure International]]'s ''Rally Speedway'' to both ''Pole Position'' and [[Epyx]]'s ''Pitstop''.<ref name="reed19840506">{{cite news | url=http://www.atarimagazines.com/hi-res/v1n4/reviews.php | title=Pole Position / Pitstop | work=Hi-Res | date=May–June 1984 | access-date=22 December 2014 | author=Reed, Stephen | pages=14}}</ref>

In 2007, ''[[Eurogamer]]'' gave it a mixed retrospective review, calling it "a simulation down to the core" and that those dedicated racing fans will be deterred by the game's difficulty.<ref name="EuroG"/> ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'' called ''Pole Position'' one of the top ten games for the [[Atari 2600]] in 2013.<ref name="ew">{{cite magazine | url=http://www.ew.com/article/2013/01/25/the-10-best-atari-games | first=Aaron | last=Morales | title=The 10 best Atari games | magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]] | date=January 25, 2013 | access-date=April 17, 2016}}</ref>

===Impact===
''Pole Position'' is regarded as one of the most influential [[video game]]s of [[History of video games|all time]]. Bill Loguce and Matt Barton listed it as one of the 25 most influential games of all time, calling it "arguably the most important racing game ever made".<ref name="Loguidice">{{citation|title=Vintage Games: An Insider Look at the History of Grand Theft Auto, Super Mario, and the Most Influential Games of All Time|first1=Bill|last1=Loguidice|first2=Matt|last2=Barton|publisher=[[Focal Press]]|year=2009|isbn=978-0-240-81146-8|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=M_bFdsP9L7oC|pages=195–6|ref=vintage_log}}</ref> In 1984, ''Electronic Games'' stated that, for "the first time in the amusement parlors, a first-person racing game gives a higher reward for passing cars and finishing among the leaders rather than just for keeping all four wheels on the road, thus making driving an art".<ref name="award"/> In 1995, ''[[Flux (magazine)|Flux]]'' magazine ranked the game 32nd on their "Top 100 Video Games".<ref>{{Cite journal |date=April 1995 |title=Top 100 Video Games |url=https://archive.org/details/flux-issue-4/page/n29/mode/2up |journal=Flux |publisher=Harris Publications |issue=4 |pages=28}}</ref> In 2015, ''Pole Position'' topped [[IGN]]'s list of The Top 10 Most Influential Racing Games Ever. They stated it had "a drastically better-looking" third-person "chase cam view" than ''Turbo'', was "the first racing game based on a real-world racing circuit ([[Fuji Speedway]] in Japan)", "introduced checkpoints, and was the first to require a qualifying lap", and that its success, as "the [[List of best-selling video games|highest-grossing]] arcade game in North America in 1983, cemented the genre in place for decades to come and inspired a horde of other racing games".<ref name="IGN">{{cite web|url=http://ign.com/articles/2015/04/03/the-top-10-most-influential-racing-games-ever?page=2|title=The Top 10 Most Influential Racing Games Ever|date=3 April 2015}}</ref>