"Video games today are a race to the bottom."

I guess I interpreted the quote a lot differently than a few of you. How I read the quote was Bushnell was talking about the types of games, as well as the content. Not just the quality of the games. This discussion keeps getting hung up on talking about the crappy Atari games.

Maybe I'm the only one that forgets the awful games. Personally, I remember the greats (asteroids, pong, space invaders).

What about the direction games are going today? What happened to (in a platformer) just jumping on enemies? The day Mario holds a rocket launcher or an automatic rifle is the day I stop playing Mario games. I think it would totally ruin all that the Mario icon stands for.

Anyways, these are just my views and opinions. They are up for discussion by all means.

 

How many years? 3? 4? On the other hand I'm hearing stuff about an imminent VG market crash since early 2001 due to "lack of innovation" yet 7 years later the market keeps growing every year.

That kinda gives you an idea of how bad things were at the time that people back then having less technical knowledge and resources than we do now, and even when it was the first generation ever, could see through the crap that most of the market was and just stopped buying games.

And seriously, lets cut the "you werent there, you didnt know how it was" thing, it makes you sound like those Mac fanatics that keep saying "512k of RAM is enough for any computer"...

Well thats a problem not only with VGs but the entire media, I already mentioned that several posts ago.

Is like everything has to be gangsta these days, or else is considered "kiddie stuff"...

 

I think theres more crap then good for most systems, that doesn't make them suck. The 360 has tons of garbage, but it's still an awesome system, same with Wii, GBA, DS, PSP, etc.

 

Of course every system has a considerable number of bad games, but is the ratio of good games over bad ones what makes a difference.

On the other hand, PSX had more crap games than Saturn and N64 put together, and it wipped the floor with both systems, sales-wise...

 

PSX had lots of crap games but it had some really damn good ones. Who cares how many bad games there are, I'm not going to be playing them. I think Wii might have a lot of crap on it right now, but I've got 5 really damn good ones and right now thats all I need. I'm not Nintendo or Atari so sales don't bug me, I'm the end user, throw me a few bones and I'm good.

I also think that in the 2600 age, a few good fun games was all people need, since kids usually played outside more.

 

Ok so I suppose that the only one who can disprove shadowlayer is shadowlayer himself in a mind bending feet of 180degree bullshit.

People have been trying to make this same point to you for about 40 posts now and you completely fail to understand anything that is said because you are so in love with what is coming out of your own mouth that you are blind to all logic and reasoning.

20 years from now some kid is going to bash the very systems that are selling well now or that were selling well during your childhood and you're going to get what I am saying here.

It's not about sentimental value it is about market force and sales. You simply were not there to see the affect on the generation of that time.

Now let's bring this all back home and in line with your original point. Bushnell is a blundering idiot because a platform that he created was the unfortunate testing ground for an infantile industry. The dumping ground that the 2600 eventually became is solely Bushnells fault because he had control over every single game ever produced and released for the 2600.
As a nearly direct result of Bushnells cavalier and wreckless ways the entire video game industry was plunged into a disastrous failing state, even though there were several other systems on the market at the time none of which were in any way under the control of the terrible Snively Bushnell and his evil plans to ruin the very industry that he helped create.

Shadowlayer "I would take that seriously if it came from Carmack, Miyamoto, Yu Suzuki, Kojima, Naka, Cliffy B, or even David Perry (who isnt that important these days..."

Funny how your list of industry insiders is basically all from what I believe is YOUR generation of console gaming.

Shadowlayer "But Bushnell? give me a break! that guy left the market before most gamers today were born, he created the shittiest console ever (2600) which almost single handedly drove the entire market into a crash back in 1983."

Jamtex "The Atari 2600 when it came out was still tecnically better then anything else at the time, Fairchild Channel F and RCA Studio II? Even years later it was still miles ahead"

I'd also like to ask if you have ever heard of the Atari 5200? If you were in touch with the market during the time frame that you are discussing you wouldn't have overlooked it. Atari tried and subsequently failed to release a successor to the 2600.

Shadowlayer "Are you high on something? They kept the console on the market for more than a decade, and those actions were the main cause of the crash of 83."

Like Jamtex already stated. The 2600 was released in 1977 and the crash occured roughly 6 years later... Anything after that was post crash and had no affect on the crash itself. The Atari 2600 had a lot of crap games, yes it's true, but there is no denying that it sold more than well in its day.

Do us all a favor and brush up on your history before you extend yourself beyond your area of expertise and embarass yourself again.

This is it though. If you have not even the ability to hear out someone who has defended you in the past. I have no more patience to argue with you when you fail to give any credence to anything that is said contrary to your own historically unsound opinions. Believe what you must, but stop trying to cram it down the throats of those that know better.

-ServiceGames-

 

Also lest not forget, after Bushnell's departure, the next series of heads for the company were all unfamiliar with the then new-born industry, of all the heads of Atari, only Jack Tramiel had success with the company, though he still managed to mess things up pretty badly.

While Atari has had a turbulent history, the matter of fact is, we still owe gratitude towards Atari....and while Atari didn't create the industry, they were key in exploiting its possibilities (much like Richard Trevithick and George Stephenson)

...your posts show that....

 

I'd have to agree with that & also comment that I'd never thought I'd see Trevithick & Stephenson mentioned on here!

 

I never thought i'd see anyone who'd understand the meaning of that either!

Locomotion/Steam Power/Industrial Revolution is a bit of a passion of mine

 

Harumph-harumph! Why these darned kids nowadays with their Pokemans and their Halos, why back in my day a joystick had only one button and we were grateful for it! Harumph-harumph!