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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 soak in the ...
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Nov 29, 2023 · Published on Nov. 29, 2023. Follow Atari. Atari has been considered a retro brand for decades now, but it hasn't always leaned into that designation. While licensed T-shirts and plug-and-play ...
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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.
Dec 22, 2021 · The company went on to produce very popular games for the Atari 2600 including "Kaboom!," "Chopper Command," and "Pitfall!" (This last title incidentally also had a commercial featuring a young Jack Black.) However, this meant that other companies could now make cartridges for the Atari platform. The floodgates were open.
Nov 11, 2022 · It’s a pipe dream, but it’s one Atari 50 makes me want to come true very badly. Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration launches November 11th on the Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, and ...
Feb 23, 2021 · Warlords. An iteration of the relatively obscure arcade game Quadra Pong, Warlords is a very rare example of an Atari 2600 game that could support four simultaneous players. Something of a party game before party games were even a thing, Warlords tasked players with defending their quadrant of the screen by deflecting a bouncing ball back at ...
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Nov 21, 2017 · By Charles Russo. Cover art for the Atari 2600 game “Surround,” by Cliff Spohn. (Courtesy of Dynamite Entertainment) This year marks the 40th Anniversary of the Atari home gaming console. Yes, the 2600, with its sleek design and many iconic games, is now four decades old. The cover of Tim Lapetino’s book, published by Dynamite Entertainment.
