CACrown ArchivesThe cinema collection
Menu
Research dossier · General Reference

Network (video game)

video game for the Apple II

Cross-disciplinary reference desk with index cards, atlas, dictionary and catalogue
General referenceInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionJul 18, 2024
Entity authorityQ7000706
Source-derived summary

Network is a real-time, two player business simulation game developed by David Mullich for the Apple II and published by Edu-Ware in 1980.

Gameplay

Two players play competitively against the computer, each taking the role of the programming chief for a major television network. Each side bids on new television shows to add to the season's line-up, schedules them, monitors the weekly ratings, and then drops shows with poor ratings or reschedules them to recover from mistakes at the end of the thirteen-week season. The side with the highest ratings is the winner.

Reception

Bruce Webster reviewed Network in The Space Gamer No. 31. Webster commented that "Unfortunately, I just could not get interested in the game. It moves slowly and requires (for intelligent play) that the players keep track of a lot of information that is not always easily accessible. One friend I played against quit out of boredom at one point, and I found myself yawning. There is a lack of tension, which means that personal interest must be the overriding factor in playing the game - and I'm just not that interested in network planning.

Editorial summary

This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Network (video game)” as video game for the Apple II. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.

Editorial reviewA concise reference frame for defining the subject, testing terminology and identifying the institution closest to the evidence. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1980—that can be checked directly. The selected authority fields contribute no independent date. The account is most persuasive where Network, video and game can be independently traced.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

The subject matters to the general reference register because the source frames it as video game for the Apple II. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.

Evidence profile

Vocabulary and entity names are the principal evidence signals here, because they determine the precision of every later search. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 18, 2024. The linked authority identifier is Q7000706. The first chronological checks are 1980.

Critical limits

The absence of detail may reflect summary conventions rather than a lack of surviving documentation. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.

Best used for
  • Subject orientation
  • Search vocabulary
  • Locating named sources
Verify next

The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Network (video game)”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Network (video game) primary sources, Network (video game) archive and Network research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Network (video game)”?
  2. What terminology or title could unlock a more precise catalogue search?
  3. Which cited source is closest to the event, object or claim?
Subject index

Search terms from this dossier

Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from Network (video game)” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.