It was a homecoming of sorts for Nolan Bushnell when he joined Atari's board of directors back in April of this year. That's not why he was in Napa, California to discuss at the recent [a]list summit, however. During his keynote speech at [a]list, Bushnell reminisced about his start at Atari and he then talked about all the exciting technologies that may one day find their way into games.
Bushnell is fully aware of the fact that some people in the industry see him as out of touch with today's games business or that he's essentially some historical remnant of the beginnings of the game industry. He began by joking, "Do I want to be this retro-focused historical fossil?" He added that his kids always remind him of how "lame" he is. As his presentation went on, however, he set out to prove that he's more in touch with games and the future of technology than many might believe.
What's interesting from a historical perspective, though, is Bushnell admitted that he really regretted selling off Atari. "I was stupid," he lamented, "I sold completely because I didn't understand Wall Street." He added, "In retrospect, I really wish I hadn't sold it." He said that Atari needed to raise more money, and he thought that the company should look at a strategic investor. He also confessed that he was "tired" and he typically gets "5-year ADD" with any of his companies.
For more from Bushnell's keynote, check out the complete summary on [a]listdaily.
1 Comments
August 12, 2010
Dude, we all grow old. Be proud of your great contribution to entertainment history.