c. 1981 — 1984

The Patch Program

Gaming’s First Achievement System

Two decades before Xbox Achievements, Xbox gamerscore, and Steam badges, Activision asked players to prove themselves - and mailed them embroidered cloth patches in return.

33Qualifying games
43Unique patches
~1981Program launched
4Platforms

How It Worked

The Activision Patch Program was a player reward and community-building initiative running approximately 1981–1984. The mechanism was elegantly simple in the pre-internet era:

  1. Achieve a qualifying score (or meet a specific challenge) in a participating Activision game
  2. Photograph your television screen showing the qualifying score with a real camera
  3. Mail the photograph (and any required form) to Activision’s California headquarters
  4. Activision verified the achievement and mailed back a custom embroidered sew-on patch and a personalised congratulatory letter

The letters were not form letters. They were written in character. The Pitfall! patch letter was written as Pitfall Harry himself. The letter author was often identified as Jan Marsella, who appears in various letters as “Game Chairman,” “Membership Chairman,” “Activision Olympic Committee Chairman,” “Commander-in-Chief,” and “Keeper of the Light.”

Four Activision high-score patches including Explorer's Club (Pitfall!), Commander Federation of Laser Blasters, Save the Chicken Foundation (Freeway), Billy Club (Keystone Kapers)
Four Activision high-score patches. From left: Explorer’s Club (Pitfall! - 20,000 pts), Commander Federation of Laser Blasters, Save the Chicken Foundation (Freeway - 20 crossings), Billy Club (Keystone Kapers - 35,000 pts).
Six Activision high-score patches
Six more patches: Save the Chicken Foundation (Freeway), Cliff Hangers (Pitfall II - 99,000 pts), All-Star Hockey Team (Ice Hockey), Activision Ski Team, Friends of the Dolphins (Dolphin - 80,000 pts), Secret Society of the Dolphins (Dolphin - 300,000 pts).
Activision Decathlon Bronze Silver Gold patches
The Decathlon patch tiers: Bronze (8,600 pts), Silver (9,000 pts), Gold (10,000 pts). Some games offered multiple achievement tiers - Decathlon had three, Robot Tank had three, Starmaster had four.

Complete Atari 2600 Patch List

All 43 patches across the Atari 2600 programme, with qualifying requirements. Multi-tier achievements are grouped together.

Game Club / Patch Name Qualifying Requirement
BarnstormingFlying AcesUnder 33.3s (game 1) / 51.0s (game 2) / 54.0s (game 3)
BeamriderBeamriders (top half of moon)60,000 pts AND reach Sector 20
Chopper CommandChopper Commandos10,000 pts
CrackpotsCrackpots75,000 pts
DecathlonBronze8,600 pts
DecathlonSilver9,000 pts
DecathlonGold10,000 pts
DolphinFriends of the Dolphins80,000 pts
DolphinSecret Society of the Dolphins300,000 pts
DragsterWorld Class Dragster ClubUnder 6.0 seconds
EnduroRoadbustersSurvive 5 game days
FreewaySave the Chicken Foundation20 pts (game 3 or game 7)
FrostbiteFrostbite Bailey’s Arctic Architects40,000 pts
Grand PrixGrand Prix Driving TeamUnder 0:35 (game 1) / 1:00 (game 2) / 1:30 (game 3) / 2:30 (game 4)
H.E.R.O.Order of the H.E.R.O.75,000 pts
Ice HockeyAll-Star Hockey TeamBeat the computer
Kaboom!The Activision Bucket Brigade3,000 pts
Keystone KapersBilly Club35,000 pts
Laser BlastCommander Activision Federation100,000 pts
Laser Blast1,000,000 Stripe1,000,000 pts
MegamaniaMegamaniacs45,000 pts
Oink!Oinkers25,000 pts
Pitfall!Explorer’s Club20,000 pts
Pitfall II: Lost CavernsCliff Hangers99,000 pts
Plaque AttackThe No Plaque Pack35,000 pts
Pressure CookerShort-Order Squad45,000 pts
Private EyeSuper SleuthSolve Case 3
River RaidRiver Raiders15,000 pts
Robot TankMedal of Merit4 squadrons / 48 tanks
Robot TankCross of Excellence5 squadrons / 60 tanks
Robot TankStar of Honor6 squadrons / 72 tanks
SeaquestSub Club50,000 pts
SkiingOfficial Member Activision Ski TeamUnder 28.2 seconds (game 3)
Sky JinksActivision Sky StarsUnder 37.0 seconds (game 1)
Space ShuttleSpace Shuttle Pilot4 or 5 missions with 4,500 fuel remaining
Space ShuttleSpace Shuttle Commander6 missions with 7,500 fuel remaining
Spider FighterSpider Fighters40,000 pts
StampedeTrail Drive3,000 pts
StarmasterOrder of the Supreme Starmaster3,800 pts (game 1)
StarmasterLeader5,700 pts (game 2)
StarmasterWing Commander7,600 pts (game 3)
StarmasterStarmaster9,000 pts (game 4)
Tennis(Tennis patch)Win one set vs. computer

Community Impact

The patch program was a remarkably effective early form of player engagement and brand loyalty. It created:

  • A sense of exclusive club membership with named organisations - the Explorer’s Club, the River Raiders, the Activision Bucket Brigade
  • A tangible, real-world reward for in-game achievement - predating digital achievement systems by two decades
  • Personal connection with developers through the congratulatory letters
  • A reason to push gameplay beyond casual completion
  • Word-of-mouth marketing as patch recipients showed off their achievements

At Activision’s peak in 1983, designers were receiving an estimated 12,000 fan letters per week. The patch program was a direct driver of this engagement - players wrote not just to congratulate themselves but to share their experiences, ask for tips, and feel part of a community.

The program ran until approximately 1984, ending partly due to the video game crash reducing revenues, and partly because Activision’s focus shifted to home computer platforms. No equivalent program would emerge in the industry until Xbox Achievements launched in 2005 - more than 20 years later.