:arrow: Atari - Death of an Icon

In January 2013, Atari filed bankruptcy as have many software and development companies this year. However, unlike the others, ATARI strikes a sweet spot in the childhood of many of us who were born in the 80's and 70's. With its unique control stick and signature "red button", it graced many of our childhood memories with joy and feelings of nostalgia.

Let us reflect on some of the fun memories growing up that made ATARI like no other.

I remember fun memories of fighting my older sister for the TV every Saturday morning, and hearing my mom scream from the kitchen saying ' let your little brother play for a while!' At the time we would play countless hours of centipede, space invaders, kangaroo boxing, and the notorious original movie game.... ET. Somehow movie based games has never recovered from ET :)

Ofcourse, the ATARI at times, was very fickle. Console repairs were very expensive at the time, and my parents werent well off at the time. When it started giving problems, we spent countless hours propping, placing, blowing cartridges and tapping; until you figured out the perfect angle and force to enter tthe cartridge and get it to play in your first try.

This was a pure time in gaming, when endings didnt matter... where different levels didnt matter.... when sound quality and graphics were not a buying point. Even trophies and achievements, didnt exist or mattered. You bought and played a game without previews, huge ad campaigns and reviews. You bought a game simply by a friends recommendation or 64bit graphic on the front. Story lines all required a few lines that explains what was going on.... and button configurations were all the same. - Press the red button. The only true reward was the two words that meant all in the gaming universe, HIGH SCORE

Those were simpler times, however, and the company that pioneered the gaming experience and gave NINTENDO the baton to take it to the next level is fading away. ATARI reportedly send out 180 request for bids and recieved only 15 responses. All of which were too low to be taken seriously. Stakeholders and debtors decided to sell the franchise and intellectual property seperately. These IP's includes TEST DRIVE and ROLLER COASTER TYCOON which are the best on the very low-level list.

Atari's apparent departure, reminds me of a World War II hero that recieved the purple star, opened a successful million dollar business, retired and lost everything during the economic turn. Now our beloved, International hero and icon is homeless, hungry and dying.

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