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Overview
The true story behind the company and brand that was synonymous with ‘video games’ in the 1970s and 80s, told by the people who were there making history. Dominating both the arcade and home – and fueled by the public’s ‘obsession’ with technology, Atari pioneered high tech fun for a new generation. The ripple effect of Atari’s influence in technology and pop culture has resonated throughout the decades, and into the 21st Century..'
Nearly 8 years in the making,Goldberg and Vendel’s goal was to create a lasting tribute to the unsung heroes who created the Atari legacy. But through the course of their interviews and painstaking research, they wound up having just as much fun compiling the history as the people who lived the history did. Atari Inc. - Business is Fun is comprised of thousands of researched documents, hundreds of interviews, and access to materials never before available.
An amazing 800 pages, including nearly 300 pages of rare, never before seen photos, memos and court documents, this book details Atari's genesis from an idea between an engineer and a visionary in 1969 to a nearly $2 billion dollar juggernaut, and ending with a $538 million death spiral by June of 1984. Several key and important fully detailed side stories are included, such as:
* The creation of "Rick Rats Big Cheese Restaurants" which later became "Chuck E. Cheese's"
* The amazing story of Atari's very own "Xerox PARC" research facility up in the foothills of the Sierra Mountains
* The full recounting of Steve Jobs' time at Atari, with comments from the people he worked with on projects and the detailed story of the creation of Atari Breakout. Including input by Steve Wozniak on his development of the Breakout prototype, as well as for the first time the reason why it couldn't be used - leading to another Atari engineer being put on the project to make the production version.
* The real story behind the infamous dumping in Alamogordo, New Mexico that became known as a dump for the infamous E.T. in myth.
* The dramatic dealings and double-dealings between Atari Inc. and Amiga Corp. for months prior to Jack Tramiel coming into the picture.
* What actually brought Atari Inc. down.
If you've ever wanted to learn about the truth behind the creation of this iconic company directly told by the people who made FUN for a living, then this is the book for you.
Nearly 8 years in the making,Goldberg and Vendel’s goal was to create a lasting tribute to the unsung heroes who created the Atari legacy. But through the course of their interviews and painstaking research, they wound up having just as much fun compiling the history as the people who lived the history did. Atari Inc. - Business is Fun is comprised of thousands of researched documents, hundreds of interviews, and access to materials never before available.
An amazing 800 pages, including nearly 300 pages of rare, never before seen photos, memos and court documents, this book details Atari's genesis from an idea between an engineer and a visionary in 1969 to a nearly $2 billion dollar juggernaut, and ending with a $538 million death spiral by June of 1984. Several key and important fully detailed side stories are included, such as:
* The creation of "Rick Rats Big Cheese Restaurants" which later became "Chuck E. Cheese's"
* The amazing story of Atari's very own "Xerox PARC" research facility up in the foothills of the Sierra Mountains
* The full recounting of Steve Jobs' time at Atari, with comments from the people he worked with on projects and the detailed story of the creation of Atari Breakout. Including input by Steve Wozniak on his development of the Breakout prototype, as well as for the first time the reason why it couldn't be used - leading to another Atari engineer being put on the project to make the production version.
* The real story behind the infamous dumping in Alamogordo, New Mexico that became known as a dump for the infamous E.T. in myth.
* The dramatic dealings and double-dealings between Atari Inc. and Amiga Corp. for months prior to Jack Tramiel coming into the picture.
* What actually brought Atari Inc. down.
If you've ever wanted to learn about the truth behind the creation of this iconic company directly told by the people who made FUN for a living, then this is the book for you.
Product Details
| BN ID: | 2940016405438 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Syzygy Press |
| Publication date: | 04/20/2013 |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 796 |
| File size: | 38 MB |
| Note: | This product may take a few minutes to download. |
About the Author
Martin Goldberg – A writer and programmer in the video game industry, Goldberg has had a lifelong fascination with all things electronic entertainment since first playing PONG and Tank as a child at his local arcadesin the 70s. As the former site director of IGN/GameSpy’s ‘ClassicGaming.Com’ and a current freelancer for Retro Gamer magazine, Goldberg has been writing about video games for 13 years. Along with Dan Loosen and Gary Heil, Goldberg is also a co-founder of the Midwest Gaming Classic, one of the largest electronic entertainment expos in the United States open to the general public. In 2004, Goldberg also founded the Electronic Entertainment Museum (E2M), a non-profit archive whose mission is to help preserve the history and artifacts of the video game and home computer industries. In line with this goal, he’s also a member of the International Game Development Association’s (IGDA) Game Preservation SIG, a hub and community for those interested in digital game preservation and history.
Curt Vendel – A former IT Systems Engineer, Vendel is also a self-taught Electrical Engineer with a Bachelor’s in Computer Science. In the 1980s, Vendel had begun collecting Atari products, engineering logs, schematics, drawings, and technical materials from former Atari employees – even making trips to Atari’s buildings in California to salvage Atari’s valuable history from its dumpsters. Founding the Atari History Museum in 1998, the Atari History Museum archives have amassed over 15,000 files, folders and documents, two archival rooms of schematics, mechanical drawings, artwork and PC board films. Vendel is frequently tapped as a valued resource for Atari insight and archival information by Atari, SA., Atari Interactive, numerous research institutions, trade publications and entertainment magazines, television networks and movie studios.
Curt Vendel – A former IT Systems Engineer, Vendel is also a self-taught Electrical Engineer with a Bachelor’s in Computer Science. In the 1980s, Vendel had begun collecting Atari products, engineering logs, schematics, drawings, and technical materials from former Atari employees – even making trips to Atari’s buildings in California to salvage Atari’s valuable history from its dumpsters. Founding the Atari History Museum in 1998, the Atari History Museum archives have amassed over 15,000 files, folders and documents, two archival rooms of schematics, mechanical drawings, artwork and PC board films. Vendel is frequently tapped as a valued resource for Atari insight and archival information by Atari, SA., Atari Interactive, numerous research institutions, trade publications and entertainment magazines, television networks and movie studios.
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