Once upon Atari: How I Made History by Killing an Industry

HSW is the authentic & quintessential misunderstood genius. His style and prose varies from understandable succinct in depth explanations of very technical jargon to wacky humorous anecdotes of the absurd life and thinking of an Atari developer (it reminds me of Vonnegut at his most satirical & witty). It is well written...apart from the corny puns and often differing style (it is the voice that sometimes feels like two different people - one a 23 year old with too much ego to safely be contained, but that's typical for highly intelligent 23 year olds; the other a well wizened 50 something man who has spent thousands of hours helping others and thereby himself get a clearer comprehension of what it means to be human - the incongruity tells the observant reader "These are authentic experiences being recollected and disclosed. Please hold judgement until the end. Howard is after all just telling things as they happened to him").As for the subject, did Howard and E.T. the video game destroy the home video game industry? Spoiler: who cares? His amusing insider look at routines & commonplace happenings at THE gaming pioneers is captivating. The often personal touches he adds are the essence of gripping non-fiction. Never once did I feel or think about leaving this autobiographical work unfinished, often reading into the wee hours of morning with total disregard of sleep. If you like gaming his book is a must. It explains so much about the mind of game devs and the incredible highs and lows we all face as humans.But what really held my attention was the tiny bread crumbs along the way that finally culminated in the big reveal - what was uncovered in the desert landfill? Is Howard responsible or is it another urban myth? How does this abject failure (E.T. is near unanimously voted the worst video game of all time whenever such a poll is taken) affect Howard? What really caused Atari and the home video game industry to crash so quickly? Well, you'll need to read the book to find the answers but it'll be well worth the journey to arrive at the answers to these gnawing questions... So in that regard, well done Howard...for Yars (I did play this - easy to learn, tough to master), E.T. (want & need to play this), and this account of Atari's rapid decline (played this and will play it again).

I really enjoyed reading this book from Howard Scott Warshaw. When Yar's revenge, Raiders of the Lost Ark and E.T. were released back in the early 80's I purchased each of them with my hard-earned Paper Route money. Every game seemed to be a dramatic improvement of some of the games that were released prior. The Atari 2600 console never changed, but as Howard explains in this book, engineers were learning new hacks and tricks that brought more life and enjoyment to a console that had long extended its lifecycle. For years, E.T. has gotten a bad rap, but compare it to earlier games such as Space War or Home Run and you'll see it's much more advanced in terms of programming. In fact, many of the games that came from third party companies after E.T. was release were really terrible in comparison.What is particularly interesting about Howard’s perspective from the Rise and downfall of Atari is that video game programming was an entirely new landscape. It was not really viewed as a serious business and one that was viewed by many as a fad that was probably going to end some day. The same was true, at one time, about the electric guitar – which is why some record labels passed on the chance of signing the Beatles. Howard takes the reader on a humorous journey through the cultural changes of the time, from working at a suit and tie company like HP to a “roach-clip” wearing culture where you can show up and goof off for days on end, assuming “goofing off” was an idea generating activity that could produce money in the end.What Atari experienced during it’s hey-day, is really the model of what was to be the Silicon Valley startup style later on with the Internet Boom, but more of the Nolan Bushnell style rather than the Ray Kassar Style. I think anyone that reads this book and has been through a startup of a tech company can relate on some level to the craziness that happens in the beginning and the maturity that eventually follows.In Summary, a great read. It’s fun. It’s intended for a wide audience, not just your average game nerd. He is a licensed therapist, so he gives you some insight on his experience through life on feeling unsatisfied at times and how to think your way through those career traps or how to overcome the feeling of blame for bringing down a multi-billion dollar industry with a poorly received game. Probably the most controversial question of all time in the classic gaming community, is – was E.T. the worst game of all time? For me, I just have to ask my 13 year old self that question and the 1982 answer is, it was one of the Best of all time.

This book is a joyous reflection on the upsides and downsides of squarely facing one's own legacy and taking both responsibility and ownership of it. It's full of cracking insights on how some creative people think and the conflicts that arise from this way of thinking, both personally and professionally. The insights into the inner workings at Atari are a treat, especially the descriptions of the personalities involved and the politics. The descriptions of the tradeoffs required to complete a game—let alone a game on the very limited Atari VCS (2600)—from scope and scheduling to testing and marketing, are worth the price of admission.No book is perfect, though, and this one has a few downsides that keep it shy of 5 stars. It's occasionally repetitive and beats a few drums a bit too frequently. Howard also forgets to include some good stories which he has told in a number of talks over the years, such as the importance and inspiration for the sound design for Yars Revenge, and what he learned when his two joystick solution for the controls for his Raiders game ended up making some consumers think the game was broken because the first (left) joystick controlled the inventory and not the character (everyone assumes the left controller is the "main" one). When discussing why some games appeal to women he glibly associates Yars Revenge and Pac-Man because of their oral consumption aspect, ignoring games Atari's own Centipede, a shooter and popular with women, and the that graphic appeal, sound design, etc. are even more likely the cause that something as minor as "eating".But those are minor quibbles. If you're interested in a first-person reflection of the Atari era and what it wrought, the book is well worth the $$$ (or € or ¥ or £ or ₽ or ₨ or doubloons) you will pay for it.

Absolutely fascinating tale of a man and his search for meaning in life and the effect Atari had on this quest.

This is book is some experience! It looks like you turn yourself into an Atari's coworker back in the day and live each and every experience back there. I strongly recommend this book for all Atari fans.

Ich hatte nicht den Anspruch an ein technisches Buch über die VCS 2600er Programmierung (da gibt es andere Bücher in diesem Bereich), sondern wollte nett unterhalten werden. Das Buch ist unterhaltsamer geschrieben als z.b. Atari Inc: Business is fun und enthält einige Anektdoten aus dem Leben des Autors und seiner Mitmenschen. Es enthält einige durchaus interessante Betrachtungsweisen (Beispiel Ingenieure vs. Marketing), die exakt den Kern treffen. Da kommt öfter mal der innere Psychologe durch, was sehr unterhaltsam ist. Ich werde wohl auch noch Howards anderes Buch (Inspired Therapist) lesen, und hoffe es wird eine ähnlich unterhaltsame Reise. 5 Sterne, weil ich beim Lesen ziemlich oft laut Lachen musste so absurd sind manche Schilderungen.

This book is a wonderfully well written and authoritative account of not just a games company but a cultural moment in time and works its way out from the New Mexico landfill by developing the two paralleled timelines of both Howard and Atari after he got there, gently exposing the reader to a lot of cool subtle observations .. like the problems with the industry or as he calls "BIG". You can tell that most of the Dilbert characters have met Howard, its that kind of book.The stories of the people he interacts with are warm, personal and have some real pearls of wisdom in there as well.It speaks to me on so many levels and was a thoroughly worthwhile and riveting read.If you have ever written a line of code.. I implore you to read this book! You will lose a Sunday afternoon but you will gain a contented smile.

Libro esencial para entender el crash de los videojuegos del 83, y donde el autor vuelve a argumentar por enésima vez que el videojuego de Atari E.T no fue el causante. Pero más allá de eso, es una narración de valor incalculable de cómo era la Atari de aquellos tiempos vista desde dentro.