[game_preservation] Fwd: Re: [GAMESNETWORK] Boss battle first ref

[Devin Monnens]

Yup. You would really need to reference both I think. You can't say dnd
influenced Phoenix because Japanese arcade game designers didn't play
mainframe computer games (and certainly not on Plato). And dnd can probably
get its ideas from D&D, though I am not familiar with any of the campaigns
to say whether or not 'boss' characters existed. But I'm sure you had enough
dragons guarding treasure to warrant it.

As for the origins...

Well, it's from the Dutch, 1650s *baas*, 'master' or 'foreman'. I would tend
to associate it with gangsters and foremen - the guy who runs the job. He's
the 'boss' of the little guys. I'd say the term derives from gangster films

:)


Mugsy, distributing the loot: One for you and one for me!
Buggs Bunny: What about me, boss?
Mugsy: And one for you!

On Mon, Sep 27, 2010 at 2:06 PM, Andrew Armstrong <andrew at aarmstrong.org>wrote:


>  Thought this was interesting and if anyone wants to pass along some gem of

> knowledge I'll post a reply (or send it to the OP himself).

>

> Some other replies (not below) point to anecdotal evidence only really, or

> the suggestion it was from a specific game, which is unlikely to me!

>

> Andrew

>

> -------- Original Message --------  Subject: Re: [GAMESNETWORK] Boss

> battle first ref  Date: Mon, 27 Sep 2010 20:19:12 +0100  From: Andrew

> Armstrong <andrew at AARMSTRONG.ORG> <andrew at AARMSTRONG.ORG>  Reply-To: Games

> Research Network <GAMESNETWORK at uta.fi> <GAMESNETWORK at uta.fi>  To:

> GAMESNETWORK at uta.fi

>

> I'm tending to think it wasn't from Videogames originally either; "boss"

> after all is a common enough word well before electronics, it'd not be hard

> to imagine it as a term used in some kind of card games and board games;

> although off the top of my head I'm terrible at the rules for early games of

> this kind.

>

> Perhaps also a military term too? A lot of random things are taken from

> jargon reused elsewhere.

>

> In any case I'd look outside videogames though for the first uses of the

> term. To me it sounds like a pretty natural way of describing something

> shorthand, better then "leader enemy fight" or "bigger monster fight",

> perhaps ask what else did people use to describe such fights *instead* of

> boss? I'm not that old so I don't have any anecdotes of that kind to share!

>

> Andrew

>

> On 27/09/2010 17:43, Claudio Franco wrote:

>

> I remember using the term 'big boss' when playing Renegade / Target

> Renegade in ZX Spectrum with my mates - decades ago.

>

> Perhaps it originates ultimately from arcade machines? Possibly very hard

> to say for sure

>

> Clue:

> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boss_%28video_gaming%29

>

> where it says...

>

> The first interactive game to feature a boss was *dnd<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dnd_%28computer_game%29>

> *, a 1975 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1975_in_video_gaming> computer

> role-playing game<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_role-playing_game>for the PLATO

> system <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PLATO_%28computer_system%29>.[4]<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boss_%28video_gaming%29#cite_note-armory-3>

> [5] <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boss_%28video_gaming%29#cite_note-uvl-4>One of the earliest dungeon

> crawls <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dungeon_crawl>, *dnd* implemented

> many of the core concepts behind *Dungeons & Dragons<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dungeons_%26_Dragons>

> *.[5]<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boss_%28video_gaming%29#cite_note-uvl-4>The objective of the game is to retrieve an "Orb" from the bottommost

> dungeon.[6]<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boss_%28video_gaming%29#cite_note-5>The orb is kept in a treasure room guarded by a high-

> level <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Experience_point> enemy named the Gold

> Dragon. Only by defeating the Dragon can the player claim the orb, complete

> the game, and be eligible to appear on the high score list.[4]<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boss_%28video_gaming%29#cite_note-armory-3>

> [7] <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boss_%28video_gaming%29#cite_note-6>

>

> The first arcade game <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arcade_game> to

> feature a boss was *Phoenix<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phoenix_%28arcade_game%29>

> *, a fixed shooter<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shoot_%27em_up#Fixed_shooters>developed by

> Taito <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taito> in 1980<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1980_in_video_gaming>

> .[8] <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boss_%28video_gaming%29#cite_note-7> *

> Phoenix* includes five levels<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Level_%28video_games%29>("Rounds") which pit the player against swarms of alien birds. During the

> first two Rounds, the player is assaulted by the pigeon-like "Scouts",

> whereas the more formidable "Soldiers" are introduced in Rounds 3 and 4. On

> disposing these enemies, a giant mothership<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mothership>appears in the fifth and final Round.

> [9]<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boss_%28video_gaming%29#cite_note-ahistory1-8>

>

>

> Claudio

>

> Researcher / London Knowledge Lab MA student

>

>

>

>

>

>

> On 27 September 2010 17:32, jparker <jparker at ucalgary.ca> wrote:

>

>> It may be lost in time, but I recall its use in Doom. Any further back?

>>

>> J

>>

>> Mike Reddy wrote:

>>

>>>  The son of a friend asked me last night if I knew where "boss battle"

>>> came from. I vaguely thought of Metal Gear, where the protagonist is called

>>> Big Boss, but that can't be right can it? Oh, if only someone on the webnetz

>>> could tell me...?

>>>

>>> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boss_battle etc do not give the origins of

>>> the term. Is it lost in time?

>>>

>>>  \

>>>

>> \

>> From Hauptmann

>> --------------------------------------------------------------------

>> Electricity is really just organized lightning.  ... G Carlin

>>

>> Dr. J. R. Parker,                    Digital Media Laboratory

>> Professor of Play                    http://www.ucalgary.ca/~jparker<http://www.ucalgary.ca/%7Ejparker>

>> Faculty of Fine Arts                 jparker@ ucalgary.ca

>> University of Calgary                403-220-6784      AB606/AB611

>>

>>  --

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>

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-- 
Devin Monnens
www.deserthat.com

The sleep of Reason produces monsters.
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