News Atari founder slams online gaming

http://www.bit-tech.net/news/gaming/2009/03/20/atari-founder-slams-online-gaming/1

Nolan Bushnell, the original founder of Atari, has slammed online gaming as 'not cool' in a recent interview.

 

Aren't "interactive coffee tables" just those tabletop arcade machines you used to find in pubs?

 

I thought the same thing, too.

And while it might be "better to play with people in person" it certainly isn't as practical. I game with friends from across the globe on a regular basis - getting everyone together in person just cannot happen.

 

and I bet HIS parents thought pong was soooo cool...

 

But it's true: Playing in person beats the online version by far. Not only do you enjoy events in a more intense way, it's also much easier to accept defeat. It's something like:
"Haha! You beat me there, dude! My turn to fetch beer!" vs. "ZOMG NOWAI HAX!!1"

I've played Day of Defeat (not the sucky Source version) both online and on LAN. During online competitions it was full of rivalry, people argueing and rude messages flying back and forth. In Lan events, it's one huge party, everybody's friends with everybody and the people who exchanged those rude messages sort things out (peacefully).

Even though I can get awesomer games on my PC, I can't get the same type of fun I would get from a puny Wii and a couple buddies even if I had the best rig on the planet.

That's his point, if I understood correctly.

 

"Speaking with perhaps a little bit of bias"

you can say that again, the biggest portion of gamers like it or not are MMORPG's
calling their past time a little bit sad isnt going to change their minds and try out his uWink

 

Only drawback I can see with Interactive coffee tables would be that you can guarantee that:
a) a little one would scratch it or colour over the screen while painting/colouring/playing - my coffee table has been scratched to pieces thanks to the kids;

b) someone would scratch/mark it with a coffee cup instead of using a coaster (it is a coffee table after all) ;

c) power cables to the coffee table will be a safety hazzard.

still, I can see what he's saying about social gaming

 

I've said to myself that I'd never play a MMORPG because it's addictive and I just don't like the fantasy aspect of it (why are all MMORPGS having fantasy creatures like orcs?).
But I spend instead a lot of time on IRC, playing other FPS online games and generally sitting with my computer. How is that any better use of time really? Time to quit being such a hypocrite. If something makes you believe what you are doing is fun then it is fun, no matter how sad other people believe it to be.
Sure I could say that MMORPG players should do something more useful with their lifes, like getting out now and then. Maybe work a bit harder so they could afford traveling around the globe. Every second you don't spend traveling is a second wasted. There is so much to explore beyond just what you get through the computer screen.

 

It's cheaper to sit home and game online than it is to go out. I can't travel like I used to, so I'm better off staying at home. Plus you meet more than just natives online.

Most of you guys live in Europe so travel is much easier. I can't jump on a train and head to multiple countries.

 

the drawbacks can be easily solved
a)sort of special protective coating over the top or maybe its sort of hidden until you want to use it, like a flip up display.

b) same as a)

c) route the power cables safely around the room and on table legs, or even under the floorboards and straight up thro the table.

think the main problem with this would be peoples attitudes towards it. People would see it as a kiddy thing and not use it, after all majority of people in lan centres are teens-early 20's

 

I personally don't like MMOs and up to a certain point agree on their lameness, but I do game online from time to time. Playing face to face is definitely a whole lot better though but it's not always convenient. I'd rather have my friends next to me while gaming, but it's just not always possible to do it.

You need to factor the distance. With people from all over the world playing the same game at once it's not very likely that you'll be able to get these people under the same roof. Now, let's assume you somehow manage to get 16 people from all over the world into your house for a match of your favorite FPS. I don't know what the average house size in Europe would be, but down here in the Caribbean you couldn't fit that amount of people with their PCs/360s/PS3s comfortably in an average person's house.

 

Seriously! I live in the bay area and the closest country to me is Mexico, even though I am well traveled and this summer with mark my second trip on Europe(Who doesn't love summer mega-massives, thank god for the failing global economy plane tickets are so cheap right now!) Its just not as easy for people in the US to travel. The coasts are fun but in my opinion the middle of this country sucks. There really is nothing do, just endless fields and racist-homophobic-nascar-loving-hicks. =)

 

BUT YOU SELL MORE COPIES!

 

Actually I think Nintendo proved you could sell more following this guys idea basically.

 

I'm sitting here in my underwear reading his article

 

I'm amazed at the offensive an negative tone of that comment. Would you hear someone saying 'Conversation is talking to someone in the street... Sitting in a dark room in your underpants talking to people on the phone might seem social but it's not cool' to describe the millions mobile phone users?

How may of the millions of online gamers (mmo, fps, poker, etc) sit in dark rooms in their underwear... ok maybe a couple of you

How about watching movies at home alone? Surely you should go to the cinema or always have friends over if you want to be cool?

We all know that there a lot of omghaxxor muppets online playing games but surely we're above such offensive and childish stereotyping. You play an MMO? You must be a pantless weirdo! You're a programmer? You must wear glasses and have no girlfriend! You're gay? You must love cocktails and musicals! Black? Basketball and Rap dogg!

*sigh*

Sorry Nolan but I think you're way off.

 

Once you get out of school and go to work the people around you usually have other interests than gaming and as times progress you will meet less and less people that play games (and much less that would dare to admit it in public as gaming is still not accepted in our society) so online gaming is the only choice for most.

 

Not true, just because you somehow haven't heard of all the diff types of MMOs out there doesn't mean they don't exist. Plus high fantasy has been big ever since the Tolkien era, ain't gonna stop now.

 

me too ;-)

i love how he thinks everyone who plays any mmorpg is some nocturnal anti-social vampire

 

My god, this guy really hasn't kept up with the times, I love his out dated view of what gaming should be. I play WoW and xbox live quite a bit, but it doesn't stop me from going out with friends on a weekend for drinks etc.

I remember playing defender on a coffee table when I was a wee nipper