Why do Activision labels deteriorate so badly?

[welshleo]

I've a few Activision picture label carts and I think that all of them have deteriorated over time, while similarly aged Atari ones are fine.

 

Anyone know why Activision labels are so prone to mottling? Is it the paper, the coating or the glue they used?

[Room 34]

I think it's a combination of all three... thin paper without much coating on it, and a more caustic glue.

 

Atari used lots of different kinds of paper, coating, and glues over the years, and some of their carts have this problem too (known as "Actiplaque").

[Big Player]

I believe they used cheaper materials than other manufacturers. If I remember correctly, Activision's games were priced lower than Atari's. A new Activision release would be $5 to $10 cheaper than a new Atari release.

[Atari freak 1]

although, there games are very good.

[Room 34]

You can tell Activision was started by game designers... all of the money went into paying the best designers to create great games instead of paying them $22,000 a year* and spending lots of money on carts with elaborate spring-loaded door mechanisms!

 

*Yes, $22,000. That was Warren Robinett's salary for the year he worked at Atari, where he designed Adventure, a game that made the company $25 MILLION.

[AtariKen64]

i know my orginal berzerk cart plaqued pretty bad maybe the glossyness of certain lables prevnts it showing thru? is it only when exposed to air also??

[Room 34]

I had some problems with Berzerk too.

 

I think you're right... it does have to do with the amount of glossy coating (at least in part).

 

I have had another phenomenon that is perhaps related... when I was a kid, I stupidly wrote my initials on many of my games with a big permanent marker. (I would sometimes trade games with friends and I wanted to make sure I got mine back!)

 

Anyway, I have this extremely noxious oil-based cleaner called "Oops" that removes permanent marker. I have used it on a few of those carts, and on some I rubbed the hell out of them and the marker came right off without harming the label at all (Defender, Pac-Man, Yars' Revenge). On others, the marker wouldn't come off and the slightest amount of rubbing started wearing away the printing on the label (Berzerk, Space Invaders)!

 

Not surprisingly, I've since noticed a correlation: The carts where "Oops" removed the printing on the label were also the ones that had Actiplaque, and their labels are less glossy.