Syntaxerror999 Posted August 10, 2011 Share Posted August 10, 2011 Watching syndicated reruns of that 70's show I can't help but notice the Atari never made an appearence. Both Pong and space invaders had entire episodes dedicated to them... but the Atari was completely forgotten. The shows timeline ran up to 79 (as indicated every season by the licence plate in the intro) so why was atari the red headed stepchild? Is it maybe because Atari is more iconic to the 80's, even though it was made in the 70's? Licencing reasons to a company that bearly exsisted anymore? Crappy writers (seriously, that show lasted 3 seasons longer than it should have)... they did lose ther nastagic focus torwards the end, choosing to concentrate on their crappy drama plots. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+SpiceWare Posted August 10, 2011 Share Posted August 10, 2011 That's easy - the Atari didn't take off until Space Invaders was released, in 1980. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NE146 Posted August 10, 2011 Share Posted August 10, 2011 The few times I've got glimpses of That 70's show.. I dunno, but it didn't really seem all that 70's to me. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dauber Posted August 10, 2011 Share Posted August 10, 2011 FWIW, Pong IS an Atari product.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0078265317 Posted August 10, 2011 Share Posted August 10, 2011 Yes reruns on nick at nite. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jetset Posted August 10, 2011 Share Posted August 10, 2011 Yea the Atari (2600/VCS) is not really known as a 70's thing. Sure it came out in '77 but it wasn't popuplar until the 70's were over. Too bad "That 80's show" didn't last. The 2600 would most certainly have gotten some love. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BydoEmpire Posted August 10, 2011 Share Posted August 10, 2011 (edited) My wife and I watch that on DVD all the time - I love the show, although I do agree it went downhill the last few seasons (like most sitcoms). The Pong episode was great, but I don't remember if the brand was ever actually shown. I think it's probably mostly that the 2600 really came to prominence and mainstream appeal in the early 80s. Edited August 10, 2011 by BydoEmpire 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rex Dart Posted August 10, 2011 Share Posted August 10, 2011 Too bad "That 80's show" didn't last. Did you SEE that heap? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Syntaxerror999 Posted August 10, 2011 Author Share Posted August 10, 2011 Too bad "That 80's show" didn't last. Did you SEE that heap? Yes... tragic cause they wasted the title on a POS instead of using it for a spinoff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stan Posted August 11, 2011 Share Posted August 11, 2011 I always wondered where ROM was in that show. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schizophretard Posted August 11, 2011 Share Posted August 11, 2011 In a series premiere commercial there are some VCS paddles. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9Fv1_G-ans 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jetset Posted August 11, 2011 Share Posted August 11, 2011 Too bad "That 80's show" didn't last. Did you SEE that heap? Yes... tragic cause they wasted the title on a POS instead of using it for a spinoff. Oh I only meant that in the context of having a better chance to see an Atari on television. Yes I did see one of the episodes and it did in fact suck. Then again, I don't see the appeal of That 70's Show either... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoulBlazer Posted August 11, 2011 Share Posted August 11, 2011 Too bad "That 80's show" didn't last. Did you SEE that heap? Yes... tragic cause they wasted the title on a POS instead of using it for a spinoff. Oh I only meant that in the context of having a better chance to see an Atari on television. Yes I did see one of the episodes and it did in fact suck. Then again, I don't see the appeal of That 70's Show either... The main points the show had going for it was good writing, a nice 'retro' look to how things were back in the 70's, a decent cast (hell, Ashton Kutcher has defentily gone on to bigger and better things!) and two hot girls with Mila Kunis and Laura Prepon. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rik Posted August 11, 2011 Share Posted August 11, 2011 It never really occurred to me that the VCS only became popular and a huge hit when Space Invaders came out for it.I only heard of it late 1980.A kid at school said he was playing S.I. on his TV, I freaked out.He told me he had an Atari VCS, as it was called back then, and that you had to buy the game separate which plugged in on top of machine.The fact you can play S.I. on your own TV was the main deciding factor in me buying a VCS.Anyway, "That 70's Show" didn't really capture the true 70's spirit in many ways IMO, i didn't find it funny at ALL either.The 80's was more of the Classic gaming era as WE know it.Any 80's comedy, kids movie/show SHOULD at LEAST mention or show a CV, INTV, but DEFINITELY a 2600 to be believable to me. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Godzilla Posted August 11, 2011 Share Posted August 11, 2011 if i recall correctly, I got my first 2600 right around 1980 myself... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigErn Posted August 14, 2011 Share Posted August 14, 2011 How old were the average Atari buyers back in the 70's/80's? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littleman jack Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 How old were the average Atari buyers back in the 70's/80's? My parents were in their late 20s when they bought us an Atari. My friends' parents were all in their early to mid 30s. The kids who played were all 9 to 14. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rik Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 Yeah, i would say the majority of Atari game and console buyers were parents/adults back in the early days.That was due to the fact of course, kids could not afford the very high prices since everything had to be bought new.Another way which was popular back then for me was selling or trading your games.I went to summer school where this one kid had a bunch of mint CIB games he grew tired of and sold them to me for like $10 each, which was a great deal back then.He would then go out and buy himself new games, that was the ideal way to do it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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