Cover Girl Strip Poker

Lore & Background

Cover Girl Strip Poker was developed by Emotional Pictures, a subsidiary of InterActive Vision A/S, and was the only game the studio produced. The game featured eight female models (six in the Commodore 64 version), including UK page 3 model Maria Whittaker, Amanda Godden, Minnie Champ, Donna Ewin, Trine Michelsen, Sofia Bratlund, Signe Andersen, and a woman credited only as 'Jane'. The tabloid Daily Sport collaborated with Emotional Pictures, providing models who had appeared in its pages. The game was exhibited at the Arets Amiga Expo in Copenhagen in March 1992, where model Trine Michelsen promoted it in lingerie while singing karaoke.

Gameplay involves five-card strip poker against an AI opponent, with up to three human players able to play simultaneously. Each time the AI loses $2,000, a digitized female model removes an item of clothing via video footage. The game includes a zoom feature for nude scenes. The AI is coded to make subsequent hands harder to win after the player wins several hands. The Commodore 64 version differs notably: it has only six opponents, requires only one AI loss of $2,000 to show sexual content, and features predominantly monochrome graphics.

Development was marred by controversy. Model Trine Michelsen stated in an interview with Danish gaming magazine Det Nye COMputer that she was not informed what the footage was for and that some models were never paid. She received 1000 Danish krone (about US$265 in 1992). The CEO of InterActive Vision A/S, Kenneth Bernholm, refused to disclose payment details. The game includes a disclaimer stating it is 'Not manufactured, distributed or endorsed by any of the models appearing in the product,' which Amiga Power questioned legally.

Reader's Guide

Cover Girl Strip Poker occupies a niche in early 1990s erotic gaming, notable for its use of digitized video footage and its association with tabloid culture. The game's negative reception—criticized for poor graphics, bad AI, and sexist content—reflects the era's low technical standards for adult games and the broader societal debates about objectification in media. Its legal disclaimer, which attempted to distance the models from the product, was seen as ethically dubious, especially given reports that models were uninformed about the project's nature and some were unpaid. The game's multiple re-releases by various publishers across Europe, and its title inconsistencies (Cover Girl Poker vs. Cover Girl Strip Poker), highlight the fragmented distribution of adult software at the time. The Commodore 64 version's universally negative reviews and monochrome graphics underscore the platform's limitations. The game's legacy is primarily as a cautionary example of exploitative development practices and the intersection of gaming, pornography, and tabloid journalism in the early 1990s.

Did You Know?

• The game includes a legal disclaimer stating it is 'Not manufactured, distributed or endorsed by any of the models appearing in the product.'
• Model Trine Michelsen stated she was not informed what the video footage was for and that some models were never paid; she received 1000 Danish krone.
• The Commodore 64 version has only six opponents (missing Signe Andersen and Sofia Bratlund) and requires only one AI loss of $2,000 to show sexual content.
• A contest by The Sales Curve asked 'What is the weekend equivalent of the Daily Sport?' with the correct answer 'Sunday Sport'; winners received an apron with inflatable breasts.