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At the end of every episode in "Once Upon Atari," Rob Fulop (author or co-author of Demon Attack, Night Driver, Space Invaders, and Missile Command for the 2600

by gpcz 12y ago

At the end of every episode in "Once Upon Atari," Rob Fulop (author or co-author of Demon Attack, Night Driver, Space Invaders, and Missile Command for the 2600) talks about how many children in the 80s played thousands of hours of Atari 2600 games and the effect that it had in their psychological development. Specifically, he believed it produced a nihilistic generation due to the overarching message that "you always lose" in the end. He contrasts it to the early television he watched as a child where the overarching message was "it will all work out" in the end. He says that he thinks about this a lot, and that him and everyone at Atari is responsible for that.

wpietri 12y ago
That seems a little harsh. It was a nihilistic time. Missile Command was brutal, but no more so than The Day After[1]. You always lose pinball in the end, too, but nobody blames that for ruining the youth. Well, nobody in that generation. Previously, like everything else novel the youth do, it was Satan's handmaiden. [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Day_After http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Day_After
- gpcz 12y ago
  I agree that he's probably overestimating Atari's impact on an entire generation's psyche, but I like that a) he's indirectly reminding artists to stay conscious of the emotions their artwork provokes in people and b) that's he humble and introspective enough to accept and admit the possible negative by-products of his work.
- evincarofautumn 12y ago
  It’s positive in a way. Sure, you always lose in the end, but you can have a lot of fun in the meantime.
  - tripzilch 12y ago
    Indeed. To paraphrase Alan Watts, life isn't like a pilgrimage with a very important goal at the end, it's more like a musical thing, and you are supposed to laugh and sing and dance throughout, not just wait for the final chord.
    - vincentbarr 12y ago
      Or, "Human life is like walking into a movie halfway through, and having to walk out again two minutes later. You’ll have no idea what’s going on when you walk in. And chances are, just as you begin to get a clue, you’ll be kicked out. So unless you are lucky enough to walk in during a scene that is satisfying without any longer narrative context (think sex or violence), your ability to derive satisfaction from your two-minute glimpse will depend partly on your ability to construct meaning out of it... [so], approach your limited two-minute glimpse of the movie as though you’ve been watching all along, and as though you might stick around to see how it all ends" (source: http://goo.gl/kLeWxw http://goo.gl/kLeWxw)
IvyMike 12y ago
More on this subject: The Creation of Missile Command and the Haunting of its Creator, Dave Theurer > Missile Command was a social commentary ahead of its time. One that resulted in the haunting of its creator through constant nightmares, punishing him with a reminder of the value of human life and just how quickly that can be taken from us. http://www.polygon.com/features/2013/8/15/4528228/missile-command-dave-theurer http://www.polygon.com/features/2013/8/15/4528228/missile-co...

by gpcz 12y ago

wpietri 12y ago

That seems a little harsh. It was a nihilistic time. Missile Command was brutal, but no more so than The Day After[1]. You always lose pinball in the end, too, but nobody blames that for ruining the youth. Well, nobody in that generation. Previously, like everything else novel the youth do, it was Satan's handmaiden. [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Day_After http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Day_After

gpcz 12y ago
I agree that he's probably overestimating Atari's impact on an entire generation's psyche, but I like that a) he's indirectly reminding artists to stay conscious of the emotions their artwork provokes in people and b) that's he humble and introspective enough to accept and admit the possible negative by-products of his work.
evincarofautumn 12y ago
It’s positive in a way. Sure, you always lose in the end, but you can have a lot of fun in the meantime.
- tripzilch 12y ago
  Indeed. To paraphrase Alan Watts, life isn't like a pilgrimage with a very important goal at the end, it's more like a musical thing, and you are supposed to laugh and sing and dance throughout, not just wait for the final chord.
  - vincentbarr 12y ago
    Or, "Human life is like walking into a movie halfway through, and having to walk out again two minutes later. You’ll have no idea what’s going on when you walk in. And chances are, just as you begin to get a clue, you’ll be kicked out. So unless you are lucky enough to walk in during a scene that is satisfying without any longer narrative context (think sex or violence), your ability to derive satisfaction from your two-minute glimpse will depend partly on your ability to construct meaning out of it... [so], approach your limited two-minute glimpse of the movie as though you’ve been watching all along, and as though you might stick around to see how it all ends" (source: http://goo.gl/kLeWxw http://goo.gl/kLeWxw)

IvyMike 12y ago

More on this subject: The Creation of Missile Command and the Haunting of its Creator, Dave Theurer > Missile Command was a social commentary ahead of its time. One that resulted in the haunting of its creator through constant nightmares, punishing him with a reminder of the value of human life and just how quickly that can be taken from us. http://www.polygon.com/features/2013/8/15/4528228/missile-command-dave-theurer http://www.polygon.com/features/2013/8/15/4528228/missile-co...