A long time ago, in a galaxy far far away, well actually, in this galaxy… and in your living room if you were the right age, there lived PONG; the world’s first home-based video game. It began a dominance in the gaming field that set it’s creator, Atari on a road to gaming history. They burned bright, releasing pixelated titles that would become the building blocks of all games to come. And yet, by the mid-nities, it was all… kind of over.
Huge competition and a failed attempt in the console market from it’s Jaguar model left Atari all but the past when it came to gaming. But, due to the longevity and popularity of it’s games, it’s never truly disappeared and in an age of apps and html games, the old classics have seen a new lease of life. In particular, over at www.atari.com
Their online arcade now makes it possible to play all their retro games online, on any device. Better still, this is an environment that encourages users to create their own games, making software and tutorials available to anyone interested in the art of game design.
Aided by Microsoft, it seems Atari is in the strongest position it has been in decades, and doing what it has done best for nearly 40 years – inspiring future generations of game developers.