Custer's Revenge
Notorious Atari 2600 game condemned for racist and sexist content.
In November 1982, American Multiple Industries released *Custer's Revenge* for the Atari 2600, an adult action game whose infamy stems from the player's objective: controlling a nearly nude General Custer to rape a fully nude Native American woman tied to a post. The protagonist is modeled after Lieutenant Colonel and Brevet Major General George Armstrong Custer, the cavalry commander remembered for his defeat and death at the Battle of Little Bighorn.
After the 1982 Christmas season, the rights to American Multiple Industries' titles—including *Custer's Revenge*—were sold to the adult video game company PlayAround. Contrary to some claims, the game was not rebranded as *Westward Ho* for the European market; *Westward Ho* was a different game by PlayAround. Additionally, a gender-swapped version called *General Retreat* exists, but it was not produced by PlayAround—it was a separate game by another company or possibly a fan creation. Critics universally condemned the game for its offensive content, and it is frequently listed among the worst video games ever made.
**Gameplay**
*Custer's Revenge* is an action game where the player moves a mostly nude General Custer across a field, dodging arrows to reach and rape the fully nude Native American woman Revenge, who is tied to a pole. There are four numbered modes: modes 1 and 3 are single-player; modes 2 and 4 are hotseat multiplayer. In modes 1 and 2, only arrows must be avoided; modes 3 and 4 add randomly appearing and disappearing cacti as obstacles. Moving the joystick left or right shifts Custer in those directions, while moving it up or down makes him stop.
Custer starts with three lives, shown as small cacti on a black stripe at the screen's bottom. If an arrow touches his hat or he hits a cactus, he loses a life to the tune of "Taps." He can stand between two arrows without being hit. Upon reaching Revenge, the player must repeatedly press the fire button to rape her, accompanied by the "Charge" fanfare. Each penetration scores one point, and an extra life is awarded every 50 points, up to a maximum of six lives. Every 50 points also resets Custer to his starting position and increases arrow speed. Flipping the Atari's difficulty switch further accelerates the arrows.
**Development and release**
Joel Martin, co-founder of American Multiple Industries
- Publisher
- American Multiple Industries
- Platform
- Atari 2600
- Release
- November 1982
- Genre
- Adult action game
- Designer
- Joel Martin
- Known for
- Controversial rape-themed gameplay and widespread condemnation
Lore & Background
Custer's Revenge was developed to capitalize on the lack of pornography in video games. The design was led by Joel Martin, co-founder of American Multiple Industries (operating as Mystique). Development was deliberately sloppy and rushed because quality did not matter—they only needed a product on store shelves. The overtly racist and sexist themes were chosen to maximize outrage and generate free publicity. The game was sold in a sealed package labeled 'NOT FOR SALE TO MINORS' for $49.95, and its literature stated 'if the kids catch you and should ask, tell them Custer and the maiden are just dancing.'
Reader's Guide
Custer's Revenge is significant as one of the earliest and most infamous examples of a video game designed to provoke outrage for commercial gain. Its release sparked widespread protests from women's rights groups such as the National Organization for Women, Native American organizations, the NAACP, the Urban League, and the YWCA. Los Angeles County voted 3–1 to ban the game, and Suffolk County, New York voted to ban all X-rated games. Despite—or because of—the controversy, the game sold approximately 80,000 copies. Atari received numerous complaints and tried to sue the makers. The game has been universally panned by critics and described as one of the worst video games ever made, cited decades later in discussions of video game violence and racism. It was withdrawn from circulation by April 1983.
Did You Know?
- The game's designer, Joel Martin, claimed Custer was 'seducing' the woman.
- Sales figures for Custer's Revenge are not reliably documented; claims of 80,000 copies sold are unsubstantiated.
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