Tapper
1983 · Action · Arcade
Overview
Tapper (1983) is Bally Midway's bar-tending game: slide drinks down four bars to thirsty customers and catch the empties before they smash.
Deep Dive
The bartender in Tapper works four bars at once, filling mugs and sliding them to customers who advance until they are served. Empty mugs come sliding back and must be caught, and tips left on the counter can be collected for bonus points at the cost of leaving the taps. Designed by Marvin Glass and Associates, the original carried Budweiser branding for bars; a Root Beer Tapper version followed for arcades that objected to the beer theme.
Developer Story
Tapper was designed by Marvin Glass and Associates and released by Midway in 1983. Players served beer to increasingly impatient bar customers, catching empty mugs before they fell and tips left on the counter. The game was originally sponsored by Budweiser and shown in bars — later sanitised to "Root Beer Tapper" for locations that objected to alcohol content. The bar itself scrolled between rounds to reveal new, themed settings.
Did You Know?
- Tapper was originally sponsored by Budweiser and served in bars and pubs — one of the first games with a corporate brand partnership.
- A non-alcoholic "Root Beer Tapper" version was produced for venues that objected to beer imagery.
- Catching the empty mugs before they fell off the end of the bar required tracking multiple lanes simultaneously.
- Tips left on the counter gave bonus points but required moving away from beer-serving duty to collect them.
Sources & further reading
- Tapper (video game) — Wikipedia
