Download or read book Racing the Beam written by Nick Montfort and published by MIT Press. This book was released on 2020-02-25 with total page 193 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A study of the relationship between platform and creative expression in the Atari VCS, the gaming system for popular games like Pac-Man and Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back. The Atari Video Computer System dominated the home video game market so completely that “Atari” became the generic term for a video game console. The Atari VCS was affordable and offered the flexibility of changeable cartridges. Nearly a thousand of these were created, the most significant of which established new techniques, mechanics, and even entire genres. This book offers a detailed and accessible study of this influential video game console from both computational and cultural perspectives. Studies of digital media have rarely investigated platforms—the systems underlying computing. This book, the first in a series of Platform Studies, does so, developing a critical approach that examines the relationship between platforms and creative expression. Nick Montfort and Ian Bogost discuss the Atari VCS itself and examine in detail six game cartridges: Combat, Adventure, Pac-Man, Yars' Revenge, Pitfall!, and Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back. They describe the technical constraints and affordances of the system and track developments in programming, gameplay, interface, and aesthetics. Adventure, for example, was the first game to represent a virtual space larger than the screen (anticipating the boundless virtual spaces of such later games as World of Warcraft and Grand Theft Auto), by allowing the player to walk off one side into another space; and Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back was an early instance of interaction between media properties and video games. Montfort and Bogost show that the Atari VCS—often considered merely a retro fetish object—is an essential part of the history of video games.
Download or read book Breakout written by Jamie Lendino and published by Steel Gear Press. This book was released on 2023-08-17 with total page 349 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Atari 8-bit computers are the first machines that truly bridged the divide between video game players and home computer enthusiasts. The Atari 400 and 800 signaled the start of a new era in computing. Breakout: How Atari 8-Bit Computers Defined a Generation is the first book to cover what made Atari's groundbreaking computer line great: its excellent graphics and sound, flexible programming environment, and wide support from the burgeoning home computer community. For those of us coming of gaming age in the 80s, Atari games were simply amazing—and you'll find out what made these titles so much fun to play. Breakout also explores the Atari 8-bit platform as it stands today, with a robust enthusiast and modding community, the increasing value of Atari computers and peripherals, and how to get started with one now or get your old one running again. With fully revised and updated sections on emulation, mods, and add-ons, plus new community sites, podcasts, and detailed write-ups of 170 Atari 8-bit games (60 more than before), this second edition of Breakout is a must-buy for every vintage computer or gaming enthusiast.
Download or read book Your Atari Computer written by Lon Poole and published by . This book was released on 1982 with total page 458 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Presenting the ATARI home computers; How to operate the ATARI computers; Programming in BASIC; Advanced BASIC programming; The program recorder; ATARI printers; The ATARI 810 disk drive; Advanced graphics; Compendium of BASIC statements and functions.
Download or read book Atari Age written by Michael Z. Newman and published by MIT Press. This book was released on 2017 with total page 266 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The cultural contradictions of early video games: a medium for family fun (but mainly for middle-class boys), an improvement over pinball and television (but possibly harmful) Beginning with the release of the Magnavox Odyssey and Pong in 1972, video games, whether played in arcades and taverns or in family rec rooms, became part of popular culture, like television. In fact, video games were sometimes seen as an improvement on television because they spurred participation rather than passivity. These “space-age pinball machines” gave coin-operated games a high-tech and more respectable profile. In Atari Age, Michael Newman charts the emergence of video games in America from ball-and-paddle games to hits like Space Invaders and Pac-Man, describing their relationship to other amusements and technologies and showing how they came to be identified with the middle class, youth, and masculinity. Newman shows that the “new media” of video games were understood in varied, even contradictory ways. They were family fun (but mainly for boys), better than television (but possibly harmful), and educational (but a waste of computer time). Drawing on a range of sources—including the games and their packaging; coverage in the popular, trade, and fan press; social science research of the time; advertising and store catalogs; and representations in movies and television—Newman describes the series of cultural contradictions through which the identity of the emerging medium worked itself out. Would video games embody middle-class respectability or suffer from the arcade's unsavory reputation? Would they foster family togetherness or allow boys to escape from domesticity? Would they make the new home computer a tool for education or just a glorified toy? Then, as now, many worried about the impact of video games on players, while others celebrated video games for familiarizing kids with technology essential for the information age.
Download or read book Atari Projects written by Jason Moore and published by Lulu.com. This book was released on 2019-08-09 with total page 123 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The goal of this book is to provide a series of fun projects to make it easy for beginners and experts alike to get the most out of their Atari 8-bit retro-computing hobby. Most projects are designed to be completed in less than an hour and are ideal for the weekend hobbyist. The format of each project is a how-to that lists the pre-requisites, the time estimate for completion, some introductory information, a step by step guide, and some comments. The projects are presented in a sequential order that could be followed by someone new to the hobby. The book starts with projects related to purchasing and working with Atari computers and peripherals followed by chapters on software, BASIC programming, and useful resources. Included are projects on original hardware and software as well as projects covering recent developments in technology such as flash memory devices and emulators that can enhance the Atari experience.
Download or read book Art Of Atari written by Tim Lapetino and published by Dynamite Entertainment. This book was released on 2016-10-26 with total page 354 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Atari is one of the most recognized names in the world. Since its formation in 1972, the company pioneered hundreds of iconic titles including Asteroids, Centipede, and Missile Command. In addition to hundreds of games created for arcades, home video systems, and computers, original artwork was specially commissioned to enhance the Atari experience, further enticing children and adults to embrace and enjoy the new era of electronic entertainment. The Art of Atari is the first official collection of such artwork. Sourced from private collections worldwide, this book spans over 40 years of the company's unique illustrations used in packaging, advertisements, catalogs, and more. Co-written by Robert V. Conte and Tim Lapetino, The Art of Atari includes behind-the-scenes details on how dozens of games featured within were conceived of, illustrated, approved (or rejected), and brought to life! Includes a special Foreword by New York Times bestseller Ernest Cline author of Armada and Ready Player One, soon to be a motion picture directed by Steven Spielberg. Whether you're a fan, collector, enthusiast, or new to the world of Atari, this book offers the most complete collection of Atari artwork ever produced!
Download or read book Dr C Wacko s Miracle Guide to Designing and Programming Your Own Atari Computer Arcade Games written by David L. Heller and published by Addison Wesley Publishing Company. This book was released on 1983-01-01 with total page 235 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Game Console 2 0 written by Evan Amos and published by No Starch Press. This book was released on 2021-09-08 with total page 314 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This revised and expanded second edition of the bestselling The Game Console contains brand new content, with coverage of 50 more consoles, variants, and accessories in 50 added pages. The Game Console 2.0 is a gorgeous coffee table book for geeks and gamers that brings together highly detailed photos of more than 100 video game consoles and their electronic interiors spanning nearly five decades. Revised and updated since the first edition’s celebrated 2018 release, The Game Console 2.0 is an even bigger archival collection of vividly detailed photos of more than 100 video-game consoles. This ultimate archive of gaming history spans five decades and nine distinct generations, chronologically covering everything from market leaders to outright failures, and tracing the gaming industry’s rise, fall, and monumental resurgence. The book’s 2nd edition features more classic game consoles and computers, a section on retro gaming in the modern era, and dozens of new entries — including super-rare finds, such the Unisonic Champion 2711, and the latest ninth-generation consoles. You’ll find coverage of legendary systems like the Magnavox Odyssey, Atari 2600, NES, and the Commodore 64; systems from the ‘90s and 2000s; modern consoles like the Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X|S, and PlayStation 5; and consoles you never knew existed. Get a unique peek at the hardware powering the world’s most iconic video-game systems with The Game Console 2.0 — the perfect gift for geeks of all stripes and every gamer’s must-have coffee-table book.
Download or read book Hackers written by Steven Levy and published by "O'Reilly Media, Inc.". This book was released on 2010-05-19 with total page 432 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This 25th anniversary edition of Steven Levy's classic book traces the exploits of the computer revolution's original hackers -- those brilliant and eccentric nerds from the late 1950s through the early '80s who took risks, bent the rules, and pushed the world in a radical new direction. With updated material from noteworthy hackers such as Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Richard Stallman, and Steve Wozniak, Hackers is a fascinating story that begins in early computer research labs and leads to the first home computers. Levy profiles the imaginative brainiacs who found clever and unorthodox solutions to computer engineering problems. They had a shared sense of values, known as "the hacker ethic," that still thrives today. Hackers captures a seminal period in recent history when underground activities blazed a trail for today's digital world, from MIT students finagling access to clunky computer-card machines to the DIY culture that spawned the Altair and the Apple II.
Download or read book Atari BASIC written by Bob Albrecht and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 1979 with total page 356 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book shows you how to read, write and understand the ATARI BASIC programming language used in new personal-sized microcomputers. In just a few days you can learn to do nearly anything you want using ATARI BASIC programs, without any special background or previous experience with a computer. You'll find detailed descriptions of all the ATARI BASIC you will need to know to make your computer work for you. Numerous applications and games are also included.
Download or read book Breakout How Atari 8 Bit Computers Defined a Generation written by Jamie Lendino and published by Ziff Davis. This book was released on 2017-03-16 with total page 291 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Atari 8-bit computers are the first machines that truly bridged the divide between video game players and home computer enthusiasts. The Atari 400 and 800 signaled the start of a new era in computing. Breakout: How Atari 8-Bit Computers Defined a Generation is the first book to cover what made Atari's groundbreaking computer line great: its excellent graphics and sound, flexible programming environment, and wide support from the burgeoning home computer community. For those of us coming of "gaming age" in the 80s, Atari games were simply amazing—and you'll find out what made over 100 titles so much fun to play. Breakout also explores the Atari 8-bit platform as it stands today, with a robust enthusiast and modding community, the increasing value of Atari computers and peripherals, and how to get started with one now or get your old one working again.
Download or read book The Atari BASIC Source Book written by Bill Wilkinson and published by . This book was released on 1983 with total page 299 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An Annotated Source Code Listing with Information on the Internal Workings of BASIC
Download or read book The Creative Atari written by David Small and published by . This book was released on 1983 with total page 254 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Mapping the Atari written by Ian Chadwick and published by Compute. This book was released on 1985 with total page 270 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Supplies a Comprehensive Listing of Memory Locations & Their Functions. Suggests Applications with Program Listings
Download or read book A Compendium of Atari 2600 Games Volume One written by Kieren Hawken and published by AG Books. This book was released on 2019-07-10 with total page 168 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Atari 2600 might not have been the first ever games console but it was certainly the first one to be successful and launched an entire industry in the process. Originally known as the Video Computer System, it went on to sell over thirty million units and still holds the record for being the longest officially supported console; the first game arrived in 1977 with the last being released in 1992, an incredible 15 years later. With such a long life, the 2600 spawned a huge catalogue of cartridges that includes many of the gaming world's greatest classics. This book takes you through the history of the much-loved platform, sampling a varied cross-section of games; featured titles include early releases, modern retro classics and even originally unreleased prototypes. Each entry features a screenshot, review and publishing information, along with the author's personal rating for the title. With ten entries for each letter of the alphabet, this is not supposed to be a list of the best or the worst games; neither is it a complete guide to all that's available. It is simply a meandering journey through some thirty years of home computing history, and will interest dedicated fans and casual readers alike. A Compendium of Atari 2600 Games is a celebration of the classic console, filled with nostalgic memories, new opinions, interesting stories and so much more
Download or read book Once Upon Atari written by Howard Scott Warshaw and published by . This book was released on 2020-12-14 with total page 328 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: ONCE UPON ATARI is an intimate view into the dramatic rise and fall of the early video game industry, and how it shaped the life of one of its key players. This book offers eye-opening details and insights, delivered in a creative style that mirrors the industry it reveals. An innovative work from one of the industry's original innovators.This is a detailed look behind the scenes of the early days of video games, with particular attention to the causative factors leading up to the video game crash of the early 1980s. It is also the journey of one industry pioneer, and how his experience creating some of the world's most noted pieces of interactive entertainment reverberates throughout his life. It is a compelling and dramatic tale of innocence, greed, exuberance, hubris, joy, devastation and ultimately redemption, told in a fresh voice and an unorthodox style.
Download or read book Assembly Language Programming for the Atari Computers written by Mark Chasin and published by McGraw-Hill Companies. This book was released on 1984-01-01 with total page 294 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Introduces Assembly Language Programming for the Atari Computers
