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You should check out the origin of EA / Electronic Arts. They were really about empowering artists -- the initial concept was pretty highminded and artist-orien

You should check out the origin of EA / Electronic Arts. They were really about empowering artists -- the initial concept was pretty highminded and artist-oriented. [Trip] Hawkins had developed the ideas of treating software as an art form and calling the developers, "software artists" [...] Their first such ad, accompanied by the slogan "We see farther," was the first video game advertisement to feature software designers. EA also shared lavish profits with their developers, which added to their industry appeal. The square "album cover" boxes (such as the covers for 1983's M.U.L.E. and Pinball Construction Set) were a popular packaging concept by Electronic Arts, which wanted to represent their developers as "rock stars" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_Arts#1982%E2%80%931991:_Trip_Hawkins_era,_founding,_and_early_success The name, "Electronic Artists", flowed from this idea. Incredible to think of, in light of the microtransaction nightmare hellscape seen in most EA software.

Mountain_Skies 5y ago
I remember those ads. IIRC, they were two full page spreads in the most popular magazines for the Commodore, and I'd assume for Atari too. As a kid, I was confused why they were showing these people because no other company did this. From that time on, it stuck in my head from that computer games weren't some kind of magic that came down from the heavens but were created by actual humans. While I never wrote games that got published, I started experimenting and playing around with making them myself, which lead to a career in software development.
- JohnBooty 5y ago
  Yes! Those ads were so inspirational!
  - tanseydavid 5y ago
    Will Harvey's Music Construction Set was the first EA title that I ever purchased. They definitely gave this guy the aura of a rock star in the packaging that came with the title.
    - JohnBooty 5y ago
      Yeah! I love it!!! Same thing with Bill Budge's Pinball Construction Set. http://www.atarimania.com/game-atari-400-800-xl-xe-pinball-construction-set_3964.html http://www.atarimania.com/game-atari-400-800-xl-xe-pinball-c... Treat yourself to clicking on the thumbnails. The "liner notes" are incredible.
- jhbadger 5y ago
  And at least in the beginning, they photographed the programmers in a way that made them look cool -- like rock stars or something. Not only were games programmed by actual humans but ones that didn't look like the stereotypical "nerd".
jonahbenton 5y ago
OMG this. That poster was the one poster I had on my wall in high school. The original "Don't be evil."
actually_a_dog 5y ago
It's amazing what happens when money starts being involved, isn't it?
- JohnBooty 5y ago
  Haha whoa. It's not like EA was a non-profit org. They were there to make money. Think about the industry they were openly aping, with their "rock star" programmer-artists and their boxes that resembled the wonderful gatefold LP album covers of yore. The popular music industry is not exactly uh, averse to capitalism. Also, their advertising was, well, hmm. I think it's no accident that their image perfectly calibrated to appeal the sort of person who could actually afford a home computer in the early 1980s. The kind of guy who fancied himself a bit of an intellectual in one way or another. They weren't the first with this approach; Infocom had a lot of success with a similar corporate image and advertising campaign previously. I do think there was quite a bit of genuine sincerity at the core of "early EA", but they were definitely chasing $$$ from the start as well.
  - rob74 5y ago
    But still... then: "software is an art form"; now: cookie-cutter yearly versions of FIFA, Madden NFL, NHL etc. etc. etc.
    - jsiaajdsdaa 5y ago
      Why do people get so passionate about $60 games that maybe would be fairly priced at $30, but then will blow tens of thousands on a car or house that doesn't provide much additional value compared to a normal price one?
      - dotancohen 5y ago
        The car and house are status symbols, and the house might appreciate.
      - rob74 5y ago
        I didn't complain about the price, I was complaining about the lack of originality. Ok, I'm not a huge sports fan, so the games I mentioned never really interested me, maybe that's why I fail to see the difference between FIFA 21 and FIFA 22...
HNSucksAss 5y ago

Mountain_Skies 5y ago

I remember those ads. IIRC, they were two full page spreads in the most popular magazines for the Commodore, and I'd assume for Atari too. As a kid, I was confused why they were showing these people because no other company did this. From that time on, it stuck in my head from that computer games weren't some kind of magic that came down from the heavens but were created by actual humans. While I never wrote games that got published, I started experimenting and playing around with making them myself, which lead to a career in software development.

JohnBooty 5y ago
Yes! Those ads were so inspirational!
- tanseydavid 5y ago
  Will Harvey's Music Construction Set was the first EA title that I ever purchased. They definitely gave this guy the aura of a rock star in the packaging that came with the title.
  - JohnBooty 5y ago
    Yeah! I love it!!! Same thing with Bill Budge's Pinball Construction Set. http://www.atarimania.com/game-atari-400-800-xl-xe-pinball-construction-set_3964.html http://www.atarimania.com/game-atari-400-800-xl-xe-pinball-c... Treat yourself to clicking on the thumbnails. The "liner notes" are incredible.
jhbadger 5y ago
And at least in the beginning, they photographed the programmers in a way that made them look cool -- like rock stars or something. Not only were games programmed by actual humans but ones that didn't look like the stereotypical "nerd".

jonahbenton 5y ago

OMG this. That poster was the one poster I had on my wall in high school. The original "Don't be evil."

actually_a_dog 5y ago

It's amazing what happens when money starts being involved, isn't it?

JohnBooty 5y ago
Haha whoa. It's not like EA was a non-profit org. They were there to make money. Think about the industry they were openly aping, with their "rock star" programmer-artists and their boxes that resembled the wonderful gatefold LP album covers of yore. The popular music industry is not exactly uh, averse to capitalism. Also, their advertising was, well, hmm. I think it's no accident that their image perfectly calibrated to appeal the sort of person who could actually afford a home computer in the early 1980s. The kind of guy who fancied himself a bit of an intellectual in one way or another. They weren't the first with this approach; Infocom had a lot of success with a similar corporate image and advertising campaign previously. I do think there was quite a bit of genuine sincerity at the core of "early EA", but they were definitely chasing $$$ from the start as well.
- rob74 5y ago
  But still... then: "software is an art form"; now: cookie-cutter yearly versions of FIFA, Madden NFL, NHL etc. etc. etc.
  - jsiaajdsdaa 5y ago
    Why do people get so passionate about $60 games that maybe would be fairly priced at $30, but then will blow tens of thousands on a car or house that doesn't provide much additional value compared to a normal price one?
    - dotancohen 5y ago
      The car and house are status symbols, and the house might appreciate.
    - rob74 5y ago
      I didn't complain about the price, I was complaining about the lack of originality. Ok, I'm not a huge sports fan, so the games I mentioned never really interested me, maybe that's why I fail to see the difference between FIFA 21 and FIFA 22...

HNSucksAss 5y ago