GamerNode: News - Atari founder says the games of today are "trash"

Atari founder says the games of today are "trash"

Category: Industry, Posted: 10/19/2007 at 05:56PM EDT by Frank Ling, Content Contributor

Trash Games Nolan Bushnell may not be a household word but his effect on the game industry has been felt for decades--he is the founder of Atari and one of the early pioneers in video games.

But Bushnell has some harsh words for the state of today's games and said, "Video games today are a race to the bottom. They are pure, unadulterated trash and I'm sad for that."

What he wants is less shooters, blow ‘em ups and beat ‘em ups in favor of games that are geared towards social interaction, fun and education.

"Social games represent something that has been missing. Most of the board games are purchased by women for families. It is this gaming world that can be re-energized. We used to have families sit down and play a game together. A lot of video games today are very isolated.

"You don't see mom and dad, sister and brother, sitting down like they used to play, say, Monopoly. That represented good mentoring time for families that just isn't happening now."

The 64-year-old Bushnell has apparently not done a whole lot of gaming of late as his very vision for social gaming seems to have come to fruition with Nintendo's Wii. The Wii has fostered the very concepts that Bushnell wants to see in the gaming industry. As far as present video games being an "isolated" experience, maybe a visit to Xbox Live may change his outlook as well.

So what game does he see as fulfilling his desire of a title that fulfills his standards?

"My personal favorite is Breakout. It is one of the games that everyone loved. It was very satisfying to play. It was like breaking down walls. And it was a metaphor. The world is better when you break down walls. Walls separate people. The more inclusive we can be, the better we can be as a species."

So breaking down little colored bricks with a little bouncing ball on a TV screen leads to a metaphor of a better world? That's a bit of stretch if you ask me, but coming from a guy who hasn't produced a video game in over 30 years, it just might indicate that he's a little bit behind the gaming times.

[via electronicdesign]

(16)

Posted by hoboman725 on 10/19/2007 at 05:57PM

read: I'm old, on my way out, and scared of the change that's happened without me.

Posted by alecsputnik on 10/19/2007 at 08:45PM

ok, i had to sign up for an account just so i could comment on this. is this guy retarded?? breakout was a metaphor for breaking down walls? really? the fact that you are still citing games that came out almost 30 years ago as relevant is pretty disturbing, but when he says there isn't social interaction... everytime i get on halo 3 there are at least 40,000 other people playing.. interacting.. planning... together. socially. hoboman, you were dead on. he is old and his time is apparently over.

Posted by Archem on 10/19/2007 at 09:22PM

At least he cares about video games. Everyone I know that's over thirty thinks games are a waste of everything except electricity.

Posted by jambo on 10/19/2007 at 11:43PM

On most of the Aussie Counter-Strike: Source servers I play on, at least a quarter of the players have microphones and while we do use them to notify team-mates of the enemies position, most of the time we just chat about anything and everything. It's extremely social!

Posted by TheTaxidermist on 10/20/2007 at 12:53AM

I think what he's trying to say is video games don't teach you anything anymore. He was citing Breakout as an example. He was also saying that video games take away from time that used to be spent with your family. How many people here still play board games with your family? When it comes to bonding, video games are "trash" as he says because it's not a real bonding experience.

Posted by Brendon on 10/20/2007 at 03:23AM

His example of BreakOut is a little ridiculous, though. The most that game teaches people is that you can never guess what angle a ball will bounce at.

Posted by Leonick on 10/20/2007 at 05:38AM

ok halo3 whit its darkness and short story was a dissapointment, bnut i wouldnt call it trash... sure many trash game are realeased but most ga,mes are really good

Posted by Killer_Within on 10/20/2007 at 01:16PM

The dude needs to be put in a old folks home.

Posted by Irishcult on 10/20/2007 at 07:33PM

I dont like this guy. she clearly doesnt understand the gaming of a new generation. Im not a casual game and i dont think i ever could be if i had to sit down and play a game with my family i think i would have kill myself. He might have started something but he didnt perfect anything. Atari right now in my opinion puts out some horrible games.

Posted by BatmanXTreme on 10/20/2007 at 07:47PM

Irishcult - First of all he doesn't own Atari anymore. It's changed hands several times, so you can't blame him for the current state of it.Second, show a little respect. This guy founded Chuck E Cheese's!

Posted by r0ck on 10/21/2007 at 12:43AM

First, show dude some respect. Without him, you all would still be playing text-based adventure games. Bushnell and Atari brought hundreds of video games to the masses. The author of this article does himself and the journalism industry a disservice by making snide comments. Also, consider that the asshat author of this lousy article only quoted snippets from the interview. Bushnell has a point about social interaction. How many of you sit down with your family (IN PERSON) and play video games? No, talking to some unknown Aussie halfway across the world via xbox live doesn't count. With Atari and that generation of video game systems, families gathered around the TV and played games together -- IN PERSON.

Posted by guybrush3000 on 10/21/2007 at 12:51AM

I think all these comments are crazy. Now I'm no old man, I'm only 23, but I completely agree with him. Online social behavior is one thing, but it doesn't match interacting in person with people. I do enjoy games like Team Fortress and Counter-Strike, but the shooter genre is far too bloated. Luckily Nintendo Wii has done a lot to bring back social video game playing and allowed me the first time to play video games with my parents since I was a kid, and we'd play (you guessed it) Breakout. They liked the Wii so much, my mom started waiting in front of stores to open in the cold so she could by one. And she can't set a VCR and never uses a computer. I also started playing Brain Age on my DS and that has been an amazing experience that you can't find in any other form. We need more games that activate the mind while you have fun, like in the good old days.

Posted by OWNAGE TIME on 10/21/2007 at 05:02PM

Ignorance is bliss

Posted by Dr.Aaron on 10/22/2007 at 09:30AM

I play games with my family, like the other day I played halo 3 with my dad and brother....

Posted by zim on 10/22/2007 at 09:33AM

Sure halo3 belongs in that bin but the orange box? GTFO.

Posted by fishslice on 10/22/2007 at 11:34AM

"At least he cares about video games. Everyone I know that's over thirty thinks games are a waste of everything except electricity."

So the fact I'm fourty, and own a 360, Wii, PS2, PSP, DS (Fat and Lite) Xbox, Pentium dualcore, 1900 XTX ATI card, Dreamcast, N64 and Sega Mega Drive, would seem to tear a big hole through this argument. Most of my work colleagues are over 30 and at least own a 360 , PS2 or Wii. I also play LAN weekends BF2 with people well over thirty.

Guess this makes you a sad kid who thinks he knows everthing. You havn't touched a raw nerve, I was probably playing Hungry Horace goes sking before you were even concieved.