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Mar 23, 2024 · Atari was a true pioneer that helped launch the modern age of video games. As one of the most influential companies in gaming history, Atari‘s trailblazing legacy shaped the industry in countless ways – from its scrappy early innovations to the stunning rise and fall of its gaming empire.
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Long before the Nintendo Switch or the PlayStation 5, video games took a much simpler form. Atari was a pioneer in American gaming that shaped childhood memories and future gaming consoles alike.
While it may not necessarily have been the “golden age” of gaming, the Atari days helped make what the gaming world is today, experts and former Atari diehards say.
"I don’t know if I’d say it was the golden age, and I might reserve that for when the Nintendo Entertainment System came out and took gaming to the next level, but I‘d definitely say that the Atari days kicked it off," said Chris Spear, the host of the podcast, Chefs Without Restaurants, in an email interview with Lifewire.
The original Atari was founded in 1972 and was known for arcade coin-op games and home video game consoles like the Atari 2600: a console where you could swap out different games to play (an entirely new concept at the time).
Asteroids, Combat (which technically had 27 games in one), Crystal Castles, and Space Invaders all were Atari staples in its hey-day. The people behind these games were always trying to experiment with new ideas and new concepts.
Michael Albaugh worked in the coin-op division at Atari from 1976-2000, where he was involved with games like Pool Shark, Ultra Tank, and Atari Football.
"It was interesting because there were a whole lot of things that we were trying there," he told Lifewire in a phone interview. "We would put games out on a field test to watch players react to gaming."
"I did a bit of work on a game I think should have been produced that was a game called Beat Head that I took over from Bonnie Smithson," he said. "Someone described [the game] as head-to-head Q*bert."
Beat Head was a multiplayer prototype game where players had to jump on all of their specific colored tiles before their opponent did. Ultimately, Atari’s field tests didn’t work out with the game.
For those who only know Atari from the games they played, the mention of “Atari” conjures up memories of playing video games with friends at a young age.
"I have fond memories of sitting on the floor in friends' basements playing Real Sports Baseball," John Frigo, the digital marketing lead at My Supplement Store, wrote to Lifewire in an email. "I enjoyed the simplicity of Atari being able to pick up a controller and instantly know how to play a game and pick it up right away."
Even today, the Atari ways of gaming are still very much alive for some.
I‘d definitely say that the Atari days kicked it off.
"To this day, Raiders of the Lost Ark for the [Atari] 2600 is probably the hardest game to beat," Spear said.
What players miss about Atari games was the old-school gaming style and memories of playing a game surrounded by friends.
Nov 1, 2021 · Here are ten innovations and ideas that Atari pioneered. Each one made a unique impact on the 21st century video game universe. 1. Atari made console design matter. Take a moment and...
- Scott Bernberg
Nov 6, 2007 · Atari is the pioneer in the history of video games, yet its comprehensive history has never been compiled - until now. Gamasutra is delighted to present the first of Steve Fulton's canonical three-part history of the company, taking us from Computer Space to the VCS.
May 9, 2024 · Titles like Space Invaders, Pac-Man, and the iconic Atari 2600 version of Super Mario Bros. cemented Atari’s dominance in the market. The early 1980s became known as the “golden age” of Atari, a period of immense innovation and growth for the video game industry.
Pioneers in the Gaming Culture Since 1972. Co-founders Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney changed the way we approached gaming – from the way games were designed to the way they were played. Half a century later, Atari’s legacy endures.
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Mar 3, 2021 · The story of Atari is one of pioneering spirit and revolutionary ideas. It's a tale that begins in the bustling arcades of the 1970s and winds its way through living rooms, computer labs, and eventually into the annals of gaming history.
