Atari- The Next Generation

[Room 34]

KAZ... Thanks for filling in the unenlightened!

 

Maybe we do need to get the younger generation into Atari, so they can learn about Ancient Greek literature!

[Thomas Jentzsch]

It isn't used much these days because so few people understand the reference to classical literature.

Over here in Germany, the phrase Sisyphean task is quite well known and often used. Perhaps that tells you something about the difference between Germans and other people.

[Chris++]

That Germans live in the past?

 

 

 

 

CF

[Paul Slocum]

(EDIT) Whoops, posted to the wrong thread!

 

-Paul

[bloatedmonkey]

We like our community to remain as intelligent as possible.

So you're saying this is an intelligent group? Seriously, maybe the only people who will ever be interested in these games are people who locked themselves in their rooms playing Atari back in the days, and a few current hardcore gamers looking for something different. I kind of hope so. Although I'd like my collection to be worth millions, it's kind of cool to have a collection that few people have.

[Big Player]

It isn't used much these days because so few people understand the reference to classical literature.

Over here in Germany, the phrase Sisyphean task is quite well known and often used. Perhaps that tells you something about the difference between Germans and other people.

 

In the US, the elite know all about it. I learned of Sisyphus back in 9th grade English class, where we had to study Greek and Roman mythology. However, it was not enough to fool the elite--they still wouldn't let me in. Ah, doomed to an upper-middle class existence.

[Room 34]

For a modern-day example of a true "Sisyphean ordeal" (aside from my day job), check out this Onion article from a couple weeks ago:

 

http://www.theonion.com/onion3822/getting_...o_internet.html

 

It doesn't help me that the setting of this fictional story is the city 35 miles from where I grew up, and the fact that I had to help my dad get his DSL set up last week. (Much do my dad's credit, he has been far easier to deal with on all computer-related issues than the woman in this article!)

[Idea Revolutions]

Getting back to the original topic, I strongly believe that we at least need to TRY to get some intrest in the old Atari to younger people. I mean, listen, after we die, unless we do something, Atari dies. There won't be enough people here to do anything. And then who will we turn to? The kids in the off-topic room? Please.

[Room 34]

I mean, listen, after we die, unless we do something, Atari dies.

Maybe so. (Actually, I don't believe this, but for sake of argument, I'll accept it.) But I don't think the way to get younger people into Atari is to try to "update" it to appeal more to their generation. If you do that, they're not really getting into Atari as we know it anyway.

 

Fads come and go, and in many ways the early '80s Atari popularity was a fad. The people who just go for the current trend will never look back to it. But there are people who find the intricacies of a particular passing trend interesting, and those people sustain it. (That's us.) There are others who are interested in learning about the past, learning about the origins of things that predate their own lives. Those are the people in the future who will be interested in Atari. We can't try to force this interest. The best we can do is keep the information available (which is what this site is all about!) and let those who will, come to it on their own terms.

 

The best example of this that I can come up with for the moment is Civil War re-enactment. (Personally, I have no interest in this activity, but I know it's out there.) These people were, of course, born long after the Civil War, yet they are interested enough in the minute details of its events that they will stage re-enactments, where they attempt to reproduce the details as accurately as possible. Their interest in the Civil War was not created by an older generation "updating" the Civil War to make it appealing to them. Their interest was created by their own curiosity about the past, coupled with records of those past events which have been carefully preserved through the years.

 

So again, I say, the best we can do is keep information sources like AtariAge.com alive. I have learned a lot about Atari from this site, and I lived the Atari experience, so this must also be a great resource for younger people to learn about the origins of video games.

[Paul Slocum]

Maybe we should start having re-enactments of popular Atari games? Then we can attract Civil War fans to Atari.

 

-Paul

[Room 34]

Maybe we should start having re-enactments of popular Atari games?  Then we can attract Civil War fans to Atari.

When I was a kid, I came up with a variant of "Tag" based on Pac-Man that I used to play with the other kids in my neighborhood. (Yes, I was a big dork. I also held something called a "Garfield Fiesta" in my basement in 1984 to raise money to donate to the Jerry Lewis Telethon. But now I've revealed too much.)

[MagMax667]

I personally don't think Atari will die, at least not in the near future. Just go over to the Hozer Video Games website and look at all of the homebrews and hacks that were releast last year alone. And if you look at the "In Development" page here at AtariAge, there are 14 games currently being made for the 2600, as well as 18 other games coming out for the 5200 and other Atari systems. The Atari is not dead. If anything, it has been "reborn."

[Chris++]

After I'm dead, I don't care if Atari dies altogether. I'll be dead! What will I care?

 

I'm into 2600 games because I love playing them NOW. I'm a live-for-the-moment kinda guy. I think nostalgia's bad for you. It's weak, detrimental to self-esteem, and an industry of its own.

 

I realize that the above comment isn't fair to those who might've had extremely traumatic childhoods, because they use objects to try and "reclaim" their youths in a better light. This doesn't work, of course, but I shouldn't tackle that point, because I was relatively lucky in my early environment.

 

I'm into Atari for the here and now. When I'm dead, I don't care what happens to any company -- especially the modernized shadow that once was the Atari Corporation.

 

-- Realistic Chris

[Thomas Jentzsch]

Playing Advocatus Diaboli again, Chris?

[somePUNK]

Oh well i agree with somePUNK it wont happen

[KAZ]

For a modern-day example of a true "Sisyphean ordeal" (aside from my day job), check out this Onion article from a couple weeks ago:

 

http://www.theonion.com/onion3822/getting_...o_internet.html

 

It doesn't help me that the setting of this fictional story is the city 35 miles from where I grew up, and the fact that I had to help my dad get his DSL set up last week. (Much do my dad's credit, he has been far easier to deal with on all computer-related issues than the woman in this article!)

 

Here's a quote from that article:

"Then there are the viruses," Widmar continued. "She said, 'I'm afraid to look at the Internet. What if my computer gets one of those diseases I read about in the paper?' I tried telling her that viruses can only be spread if you open attachments, and that she'd have nothing to worry about if she scanned attachments before opening them. She said she was afraid she'd forget or scan it wrong, and that 'the whole computer would break.'"

 

I know this article was supposed to be poking fun at a beginner computer user, but seriously...you CAN scan viruses "wrong". If you don't keep your virus scanner up to date, you can get nailed by the next new virus that comes along. And tho your computer won't EXPLODE or anything, it will technically "break it".

And what about those web sites out there that will attempt to automatically dial your modem? A real threat, since a beginner won't know what to do...and in a couple weeks they'll get a bill for $20,000 from their phone company.

Or email that automatically opens up your browser, and then 9,000 pop-up windows come up. I know the trick: Alt F4. But a beginner wouldn't.

 

The internet IS a scary place for those who aren't well versed on it. And the fact they are newbies, can cost them big time. I kind of laughed at that onion article, but it is more serious if you think more deeply about it. It would be best had that fictional woman not even been on the net at all, for it could cost her. She COULD have her identity stolen online (paypal anyone?)