Bushnell found out that the name “Syzygy” was already in use by another company and incorporated under the name Atari, named after a strategic move in the Japanese board game “Go” which was Bushnell’s favorite game.
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| Nolan Bushnell | |
|---|---|
| Known for | Co-founding Atari, Inc. Pong Creator & founder of Chuck E. Cheese |
What did Nolan Bushnell do for Atari?
Nolan Kay Bushnell (born February 5, 1943) is an Americanengineer and entrepreneur who founded both Atari, Inc. and the Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza-Time Theaters chain. Bushnell has started more than twenty companies and is one of the founding fathers of the video game industry.
How much did Steve Bushnell sell Atari for?
When Mr Bushnell decided to sell Atari to Warner Brothers in 1976 for an estimated $30m (£19m), (a move intended to expand the firm's offerings, but one Mr Bushnell says he now regrets), he carved yet another path, becoming the first of a still-growing list of 20-something Silicon Valley millionaires.
Was Nolan Bushnell the first video game invented?
It is true that Nolan Bushnell plays a large role in video game history as he was the first person to be successful in commercializing a video game, but he is not responsible for the creation of the first video game.
Did Nolan Bushnell join Perrone Robotics Board?
"Nolan Bushnell joins Perrone Robotics Board". www.prnewswire.com. Retrieved 2017-02-16. ^ O'Brien, Chris (2013-01-17).
How was Atari started?
In 1971, Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney founded a small engineering company, Syzygy Engineering, that designed Computer Space, the world's first commercially available arcade video game, for Nutting Associates. On June 27, 1972, the two incorporated Atari, Inc. and soon hired Al Alcorn as their first design engineer.
When did Bushnell discover Atari?
1972In the annals of Silicon Valley history, Nolan Bushnell's name conjures up both brilliant success and spectacular failure. His two landmark achievements were founding Atari in 1972–laying the groundwork for the entire video game industry–and starting Chuck E.
What inspired Nolan Bushnell?
Growing up in Utah in the 1940s, Bushnell had a childhood typical of a budding inventor. His early inspirations included a third grade science project on electricity. His early setbacks included nearly burning down his family's garage with a homemade liquid-fuel rocket mounted on a roller skate.
Why did Atari turn down Apple?
The new computer was called the Apple I. Bushnell declined to invest in the machine, and has said that at the time he simply had no interest in home computers. The Atari founder is in Australia this week to attend the Creative Innovation Asia Pacific conference in Melbourne.
Who invented Atari game?
Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney founded Atari in June 1972. Five months later, Atari's first product, Pong, changed gaming forever. The company quickly rolled out other arcade games.
Who started Atari?
Nolan BushnellTed DabneyAtari/Founders
Does Atari own Chuck E Cheese?
Cheese is an American family entertainment center and pizza restaurant chain founded in 1977 by Atari co-founder Nolan Bushnell.
What was the first game ever?
In October 1958, Physicist William Higinbotham created what is thought to be the first video game. It was a very simple tennis game, similar to the classic 1970s video game Pong, and it was quite a hit at a Brookhaven National Laboratory open house.
Who invented Chuck E Cheese?
Nolan BushnellChuck E. Cheese / Founder
Who hired Steve Jobs at Atari?
As one of the only people who ever truly gave Steve Jobs a job, Atari's Nolan Bushnell has a pretty big claim to fame.
Who was Steve Jobs boss at Atari?
2:1649:00Nolan Bushnell | The Atari Founder, Steve Job's First Boss ... - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipHe is he was steve jobs. First real boss the great steve jobs this was this guy was his. First realMoreHe is he was steve jobs. First real boss the great steve jobs this was this guy was his. First real boss nolan welcome on to the thrive time show how are you sir my pleasure to be here.
Who did jobs persuade to improve a video game that Jobs couldn't repair but had promised the President of Atari to fix for $5000?
Jobs made good on his promise and gave Wozniak his promised $350.
When was Atari founded?
1972, Sunnyvale, CAAtari / Founded
Why did Ted Dabney leave Atari?
By the end of 1973, Dabney left the company they had founded together, saying that as Bushnell took over more and more of the company's operations and direction, "that was the end of our relationship." Bushnell bought him out, and that was that — or so they thought at the time.
How old is Nolan Bushnell?
79 years (February 5, 1943)Nolan Bushnell / Age
What games did Nolan Bushnell create?
As the inventor of Pong, Nolan Bushnell is considered by many to be the "father of electronic gaming." He was born in Utah in 1943 and grew up a tinkerer, playing with electronic ignition systems and a roller-skate-mounted liquid fuel rocket in his garage.
What was Nolan Bushnell's biggest achievement?
advertisement. In the annals of Silicon Valley history, Nolan Bushnell’s name conjures up both brilliant success and spectacular failure. His two landmark achievements were founding Atari in 1972–laying the groundwork for the entire video game industry–and starting Chuck E. Cheese’s Pizza Time Theatre in 1977.
Where did Nolan Bushnell grow up?
Bushnell In A Nutshell. As a kid growing up in Clearfield, Utah, Nolan Bushnell would visit a local boneyard where he scoured the hulking bellies of rusty aircraft looking for spare parts. “They were melting down airplane fuselages from World War II for the aluminum,” he recalls.
When did the robot attack start?
Robot Attack. In 1977, George Lucas’s Star Wars ignited a frenzy for personal robot technology that lasted into the 1980s. Everybody wanted a C-3PO or an R2-D2 of their own. The Catalyst firm Androbot landed firmly in the center of that cultural movement, and Bushnell promised big things.
When did Atari start making pong?
But the following year, Bushnell and Dabney cofounded Atari. When their new startup launched an arcade game called Pong in the fall of 1972, it set the arcade industry on fire. Several other hit arcade games followed, then Home Pong in 1975.
Did Bushnell dabble in the pizza business?
Bushnell’s overlords at Warner didn’t want to be in the pizza business. At first, Bushnell dabbled in the future at Atari. Pizza Time Theatre, the kernel that would become the Chuck E. Cheese chain of family arcade restaurants, began as an Atari division in 1977, and it became Bushnell’s pet project.
Who bought Atari?
Despite the popularity of its games, it had skirted with bankruptcy. But now it needed capital to develop its new console, so Bushnell sought a buyer. In 1976, the Warner Communications media empire–the predecessor of today’s Time Warner–acquired Atari.
When did Atari acquire Time Warner?
In 1976, the Warner Communications media empire–the predecessor of today’s Time Warner–acquired Atari. advertisement. After the Warner acquisition, Atari’s ambitious CEO had trouble focusing on the intricacies of the video game business.
When did Nolan Bushnell leave Atari?
The merger of Atari with Warner Communications led to Nolan Bushnell having less say within Atari and disagreements on development of projects and the direction the company was headed; this ultimately led to Nolan Bushnell leaving the company in November of 1978 .
What was the purpose of Nolan Bushnell's computer space?
Nolan Bushnell’s “Computer Space” established the basic form that all arcade games after would follow as it used a dedicated computing device built to play only that one game. This reduced the cost of manufacturing multiple units as the machine would not require an expensive computer to run only one game.
Why did Atari use the same part number as a Texas Instruments arithmetic logic unit?
When Atari was assigning part numbers for their custom designed ROM chip for “Gran Trak 10” they decided to use the same part number as a Texas Instruments Arithmetic Logic Unit so that when pirates tried to create their own version, they’d end up ordering the wrong part and their clones would not work.
What company did Atari buy?
Atari purchased an engineering Research and Development Company called Cyan Engineering in 1973 to have a division of Atari that would be focused solely on next generation video game systems. This branch of Atari had been working on a prototype known as “Stella” which unlike prior generations of consoles had a CPU core that would allow it to play multiple games on removable media. The core of the prototype was a cost-efficient version of the famous MOS Technology 6502 known as the 6507. Well “Stella” was in development Fairchild Semiconductor released their CPU based system beating Atari to the market and forcing them to pump additional funds into the development of “Stella”.
What was Bushnell's solution to competing against the company’s producing clones?
Bushnell’s solution to competing against the company’s producing clones was to produce more innovative games and concepts. The companies that were producing clones of “Pong” kept Atari from dominating the video arcade game market.
When did Atari sell to Warner Communications?
Nolan Bushnell ended up approaching Warner Communications and sold the company to them in 1976 for $28 million.
Who created Kee Games?
Since most geographic areas had two distributions, Bushnell secretly created Kee Games, which was named after Joseph Keenan, who Nolan Bushnell hired to be president of the company. This allowed Kee Games to sign exclusive contracts with the second distributor in the geographic area.
When did Atari sell to Warner Brothers?
When Mr Bushnell decided to sell Atari to Warner Brothers in 1976 for an estimated $30m (£19m), (a move intended to expand the firm's offerings, but one Mr Bushnell says he now regrets), he carved yet another path, becoming the first of a still-growing list of 20-something Silicon Valley millionaires.
Who said "I have made so many massive mistakes of ego, I can't tell you"?
"I have made so many massive mistakes of ego, I can't tell you," says Nolan Bushnell leading the way into his crumbling office two floors above a slightly decrepit Los Angeles row of shops.
What is Nolan Bushnell's company?
At the very least, Nolan Bushnell has revolutionized entertainment in public and at home. He continues to do so in his most recent company, BrainRush, a company that uses video game technology in educational software.
When did Bushnell sell Pong?
In 1975, Bushnell made an agreement with Sears to sell a home version of Pong. This was an even greater milestone in that, for the first time home television sets became interactive. In 1976, Bushnell sold Atari to Time Warner for $28 million. By 1982, their Atari division was making $2 billion in annual sales.
When was the first computer game invented?
Fascinated by the combination of computers, images, and fun, Bushnell went on to invent his first computerized video game, “Computer Space,” in 1970. This game, which looked like a prototype of the later “Asteroids,” was unfortunately too complicated and cumbersome for mass production. Bushnell then simplified the game.
Who is the father of electronic gaming?
Nolan Bushnell. Nolan Bushnell, inventor of Pong and founder of Atari, is rightly considered the father of electronic gaming. Growing up in Utah in the 1940s, Bushnell had a childhood typical of a budding inventor. His early inspirations included a third grade science project on electricity.
When was pong invented?
Pong debuted at a bar in Sunnyvale, California, one evening in 1971. The game was literally overplayed; the machine broke down after being stuffed too full with quarters. Knowing he had a winning product, Bushnell founded Atari in 1972 with the help of his friend, Ted Dabney, and only $500.
Overview
Accolades
Bushnell is considered to be the "father of electronic gaming" due to his contributions in establishing the arcade game market and creation of Atari. There had been debate between whether Bushnell or Ralph H. Baer, who is credited with creating the first home video game console, should be considered the father of video games, which had led to some bad blood between the two inventors. However, the industry recognized that Baer should be considered th…
Personal life
Bushnell was born in 1943 in Clearfield, Utah in a middle-class family who were members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He enrolled at Utah State University in 1961 to study engineering and then later business. In 1964, he transferred to the University of Utah's (U of U) College of Engineering, where he graduated with a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering. He was a member of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity. He was one of many computer science students o…
Business career
Bushnell worked at Lagoon Amusement Park for many years while attending college. He was made manager of the games department two seasons after starting. While working there, he became familiar with arcade electro-mechanical games such as Chicago Coin's racing game Speedway (1969), watching customers play and helping to maintain the machinery while learning how it w…
Other ventures
• In 1981, Bushnell created the TimberTech Computer Camp in Scotts Valley, California.
• In 1982, Bushnell commissioned Charley, a 67-foot racing yacht designed by Ron Holland. Charley went on to win Line honours in the 1983 TransPacific Yacht Race.
Media appearances
Bushnell was featured in the documentary film Something Ventured about venture capital development, as well as Atari: Game Over, which documented the unearthing of the Atari video game burial. He was also featured in animated TV show Code Monkeys in Episode 3 of Season 1.
Further reading
• Atari Inc. - Business is Fun, by Curt Vendel, Marty Goldberg (2012) ISBN 0985597402
• Zap: The Rise and Fall of Atari, by Scott Cohen (1984) ISBN 0-7388-6883-3
• Gaming 101: A Contemporary History of PC and Video Games, by George Jones (2005) ISBN 1-55622-080-4
External links
• Nolan Bushnell: A Life in Video Games, filmed BAFTA event
• San Jose Mercury News Podcast Interview with Bushnell
• Podcast Interview Nolan Bushnell on "We Talk Games." [Timecode, 00:38:05].