Breakout

Breakout is the 1976 Atari arcade game designed in part by Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs (before Apple existed) — Atari paid the two contractors $750 to design the hardware. The game inverts Pong: instead of two paddles bouncing a ball between them, one paddle bounces a ball UPWARD into a wall of colored bricks. Each brick the ball hits is destroyed. Clear all 8 rows of bricks (112 total) to win. Despite its simplicity, Breakout has remained continuously playable in some form for nearly 50 years — and inspired hundreds of derivative games.

How to play

• Left / Right arrows — move the paddle horizontally.
• Space — launch the ball (if waiting to start).
• The ball bounces off your paddle, off the walls, and off bricks.
• Each brick the ball hits is destroyed.
• Clear all bricks to advance to the next level.
• If the ball passes below your paddle and exits the bottom = lose a life. 3 lives.
• Brick rows are color-coded with different point values:
  • Yellow (bottom row) → 1 point
  • Green → 3 points
  • Orange → 5 points
  • Red (top rows) → 7 points

Beginner strategy

• Don’t chase the ball. Wait at the predicted landing point. The ball’s trajectory is deterministic after each bounce; learn to predict.
• Hit the ball with the paddle’s centre. Centre hits reflect straight up. Edge hits angle the ball more.
• Aim for high-value rows. The top red bricks are worth 7 points each. The bottom yellow rows are 1 point. Try to break through to the top early.
• Don’t stand under the ball. The paddle’s reflection depends on where the ball lands on it — staying directly under the ball gives no control over the angle.
• Slow down to set up shots. Don’t keep the paddle in constant motion. Time your moves.

Intermediate strategy: the breakthrough

The most powerful Breakout technique is the “breakthrough” — punching a vertical tunnel through the brick wall so the ball can pass into the empty space ABOVE the bricks. Once there, the ball bounces off the top wall and rains down through the brick layers, destroying many in succession before returning to the paddle.

• Target a single column. Direct all your shots toward one vertical line through the brick wall.
• Get the ball into the upper chamber. Once the column is clear, the ball will tunnel through to the top wall.
• Let it bounce. Once in the upper chamber, the ball can stay there for many bounces, destroying bricks freely.
• The breakthrough explosion. A single well-set-up breakthrough can clear 30-40 bricks in one ball flight.

Advanced strategy

• Speed scaling. The ball speeds up as you destroy more bricks. Some versions also speed up on hitting upper-row bricks. Adapt your reflexes.
• Paddle shrinking. Many Breakout variants shrink the paddle as you progress. Practice precision with the small paddle.
• Set up two breakthroughs. Some board layouts let you tunnel on both sides simultaneously, doubling the destruction.
• Manage angle accumulation. Each paddle hit changes the ball’s angle slightly. Over many hits, you can drift the ball into a slow horizontal trajectory — extremely hard to catch.
• End-game patience. The last 1-2 bricks are hardest. Don’t try to break them with angle tricks; aim cleanly and let physics work.

Breakout’s origin story

• 1976 — Nolan Bushnell commissions: Atari founder Bushnell wants a single-player Pong-like game. He hires Steve Jobs ($750 contract) to design it; Jobs subcontracts to his friend Steve Wozniak.
• Wozniak designs in 4 days. Using minimal chip count (50 chips down from a proposed 150). The compact design impressed Atari.
• 1976 release. Breakout cabinets ship to arcades; immediate hit.
• 1978 — Atari 2600 version. Home console adaptation; sells millions.
• 2007 — Apple Steve Jobs revelation. Decades after the fact, Wozniak’s contribution is acknowledged publicly. The Jobs-Wozniak Breakout story becomes Silicon Valley legend.
• 2008 — Breakthrough Breakout HD (XBLA). Modernized version.

Breakout’s lineage

• Pong (1972) is the direct ancestor.
• Breakout (1976) is the single-player evolution.
• Arkanoid (1986) is the most famous Breakout variant — adds power-ups, multi-ball, capsule mechanics, mid-level bosses.
• Alleyway (1989, Game Boy) Nintendo’s Mario-themed Breakout.
• Brick Breaker (2000s mobile) Microsoft Windows / BlackBerry / Symbian. Hugely popular on early smartphones.
• Reflex / Wizorb / Shatter — modern indie takes on the genre.

Common mistakes

• Chasing the ball. The paddle moves slower than the ball — you can’t catch up if you’re behind. Predict and intercept.
• Hitting with the same paddle spot. Same paddle position = same reflection angle. To vary trajectory, vary paddle position.
• Trying to “spread” the ball. Random hits spray bricks across the wall. Focused breakthrough attempts win games.
• Not adapting to ball speed-up. Late-game ball speed is dramatically higher than start. Practice at full speed.

Variants worth playing

• Arkanoid (1986). Power-ups, multi-ball, boss fights. The most beloved Breakout variant.
• BreakQuest (2007). Physics-heavy Breakout with bizarre level layouts.
• Wizorb (2011). RPG-flavored Breakout with shopping and progression.
• Shatter (2009). Physics-pull mechanics; you can suck or blow the ball.
• Brick Breaker (BlackBerry). Defined a generation of business phones.

FAQ

• Q: How many bricks in Breakout? A: 112 — 8 rows of 14 bricks each.
• Q: Did Steve Jobs really design Breakout? A: Jobs took the contract from Atari. Steve Wozniak did most of the actual circuit design. Jobs kept most of the contract payment.
• Q: How do I aim the ball? A: Hit the ball with different parts of the paddle. Centre = straight up. Edges = sharp angles.
• Q: What’s a “breakthrough”? A: Punching a vertical tunnel through the brick wall so the ball reaches the empty space above. The ball then bounces freely, destroying many bricks per pass.

For other arcade classics, try Pong, Space Invaders, Asteroids, or Bubble Shooter.