Sports Games: Bubble Hockey
I’ve waited long enough. So here goes, my favorite sports game of them all, bubble hockey.
The game was the very first coin operated foray of Innovative Concepts in Entertainment, and they named it “Chexx.” Logistically speaking, bubble hockey (also known as dome hockey, or the greatest game ever) is very similar to foosball. Players are controlled via bars and the object is to score goals. There are some key differences; as opposed to foosball, where a bar controls a line of players, bubble hockey guys are controlled individually and move about and spin in a slot cut into the “ice.” While this removes the possibility of an exciting hockey fight, it also removes the more pesky penalties such as off-sides and icing. It also allows you to pull of some pretty complex and thrilling moves, what with the ability to rotate your players 360 degrees.
An iconic feature of the game is the large plastic dome that covers the game. This serves several purposes. One is that it provides a structure for the nifty electronic scoreboard to hang from, and the other is that it prevents cheating and the loss or theft of the puck and players. You see, a big factor of the game was its pointed approach. Whereas foosball has a parlor and garage game legacy, bubble hockey was aimed squarely for the arcades, where no one wanted to take any chances with what kids might to an unprotected machine.
But perhaps the game’s greatest accomplishment was its cultural significance. There was a USA vs. Canada version of the game, but the more culturally significant, and the version I most clearly remember playing was the USA vs. USSR (shown is the later Russia version) version. These games were first produced in 1982, a scant two years after the USA beat the favored USSR in the Olympics for the gold medal, and a full nine years before the USSR was dissolved. This makes those editions of the game a pure snapshot from the times, a game that could not be replicated today.
I’ve extolled the virtues here of other sports games, but bubble hockey, in my opinion, combines the aesthetic appeal of electric football, with the functionality of foosball. Add in a bit of relevancy and you have a nearly perfect sports game.
I have many fond memories of playing the game, fighting to be the USA side, picking up clutch plays 
with a quick spin move, and wishing so dearly that there was no bubble, so I could shake my player’s hands after a thrilling victory. Unfortunately, I don’t think that bubble hockey has enjoyed the kind of extended success that foosball has. Perhaps it is more popular in hockey crazy areas, but I haven’t seen one in forever. I attribute it to the fact that they didn’t quite tap the home market like foosball did coupled with the decline in arcades, coupled further with the decline in hockey’s popularity.
But those glory years, no one can take that away from bubble hockey. It’s more than a lot of sports games can say to be popular, a big earner, aesthetically pleasing, and politically relevant.
The game today enjoys a cult following, with tournaments and other such social functions, as seen with the International Bubble Hockey Federation: http://www.ibhf.net/
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