Is it true your computer use began by sneaking on to the Utah University mainframe in the small hours?
Yes it is. That was in the late 1960s. We played games and programmed anything.
Was there a reticence to see computer games as viable business pre-Atari?
Definitely. It was obvious to see that if we could transfer the games we were playing on the computers to the amusement park then they'd make money. However if you divide 25 cents a play into a $7m computer then it doesn't seem viable. As technology became cheaper, it became possible.
What early computers/software were you using?
We were basically building State machines, which were very special purpose pieces of hardware that executed the commands extremely quickly. My first video game was in 1971 and the 4004 microprocessor wasn't even built until 1974 - and even then they were very slow. Video RAIDs have extreme uses - even for the clunky machines.
What led you to branch out from games into home computers such as the Atari 800?
It sort of felt natural because games were much harder than the computers. We saw it as something easier to do rather than harder. I left Atari in 1978 and we designed the 800 (see Old.computers.com ) but I had no involvement in the marketing of it and the marketing strategy was really where the 800 failed. If you talk to anyone contemporaneous with the time, the 800 was a significantly superior machine to the Apple.
How do you feel about how the games industry has evolved?
Of course I'm ecstatic with the wonderful things that can be done now technically. I've always been somewhat disappointed that technology was not used more to upgrade the education system around the world. I see games and learning as being very intertwined. We can have kids playing video games for three hours straight when they're diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder. What that says is they're misdiagnosed as they're really suffering from Boring Teacher Syndrome! I truly believe that games can be an extremely powerful learning tool.
Did you ever envisage the games industry would be the way it is now?
I always believed that computer and games platforms would converge and that networks would be important. We had a division called AtariTel and were working on ultra-speed modems in the 70s.
What is Uwink's philosophy?
The main philosophy is really to re-establish short-form games. Most people have a life and therefore can't spend hours learning a game. All our games can be learned by anyone in probably less than 15 seconds and played enjoyably.
Visit: uWink.
For further information about Atari: Atari Historical Society.
