What was "Centipede" in 1981?

"Centipede" is a 1981 fixed shooter arcade game developed and published by Atari, Inc. Designed by Dona Bailey and Ed Logg, it was one of the most commercially successful games from the golden age of arcade video games and one of the first with a significant female player base. The primary objective is to shoot all the segments of a centipede that winds down the playing field. An arcade sequel, "Millipede", followed in 1982.

"Centipede" was one of the top four highest-grossing arcade games of 1982 in the United States, along with "Ms. Pac-Man", "Pac-Man" and "Donkey Kong". The Atari VCS port of "Centipede" sold 1,475,240 cartridges during 1982 to 1983, becoming the eleventh best-selling Atari game.