Lehigh Valley Press recently published a feature on my Atari 2600 video game Route 22 Rampage, a retro cartridge inspired by the joys and frustrations of driving Route 22 through the Lehigh Valley.

The article looks at the history of the Atari 2600, the surprisingly active modern Atari homebrew community, and how Route 22 Rampage was designed using just 128 bytes of memory. It also covers the hands-on process behind the game—everything from programming in Batari Basic and assembly language to 3D-printing cartridge cases and creating the artwork.

As I joked in the article, the game includes “traffic, potholes and just enough frustration to feel like home,” while still being more fun than the real commute.

The piece also touches on my background in photography, electronics, and film work, and how those interests fed into making a physical cartridge-based game in a mostly digital world.

Read the full article by Dave Howell at Lehigh Valley Press:
https://www.lvpnews.com/20260103/matthew-blum-got-game-with-his-route-22-video-game

In November 2025, WFMZ-TV featured Route 22 Rampage, my Atari-style video game inspired by the stop-and-go reality of driving Route 22 through the Lehigh Valley.

The segment highlighted the game’s retro design and local flavor, from its simple racing mechanics to details like traffic congestion, potholes, and an enthusiastic horn that adds to the chaos. The goal is straightforward: weave through traffic and make it to Allentown without crashing—easier said than done.

The story was filmed inside my Allentown workshop, where the entire project came together. I designed and coded the game, produced the cartridges using a 3D printer, handled the marketing, and created the cover art. The cover image features a classic Nova photographed at the Ritz car show at the downtown fairgrounds.

The report also noted the game’s intentionally limited run,just 42 physical cartridges along with the option to play the game digitally for free online.

Watch and read the original WFMZ story:
https://www.wfmz.com/news/area/lehighvalley/lehigh-county/allentown-area/allentown-man-creates-route-22-inspired-atari-style-video-game/article_64bd1ec7-0e2b-4162-915c-743f58128418.html