Atari

Atari Founder Denied Award Over Sexism Row

Atari has been in the news again this week. Unfortunately it is not news on the rumoured new Atari console that many believe is destined to flop, instead it comes from the world of Atari’s games and also from Atari’s past.

One of the biggest stories in gaming this week was the announcement that video gaming legend Nolan Bushnell will be denied a Pioneer Award from the Game Developers Conference.

This follows strong kickback from the gaming community due to Bushnell’s less than stellar track record on treating female employees equally. The group said on Twitter that they Pioneer Award exists to honour all voices in the industry and not to silence those unheard voices of minority staff.

Bushnell Responds To The Community

Bushnell himself has also taken to Twitter to give his comment on the matter. He said he fully agrees with the move and apologises unreservedly for his behaviour in the past. He praised the Game Developers Conference with their decision and said that all people should have equal rights in the work place.

While it is undeniable the impact that Nolan has had on the game industry, most people felt that with the increased focus on women’s issues following the Harvey Weinstein investigation and the #metoo movement that this decision has been a bit tone-deaf.

The GDC stated that they were not aware of Nolan’s seedy past and the nomination was a mistake on their part but many rebutted this claim saying his previous attitude is well documented in media as well as on the first page of his Wikipedia entry.

World Record Holder Stripped Of Titles

Atari was again in some bad press this month when it was announced that Todd Rogers, holder of multiple Guinness world records for video games, will be stripped of his titles following an investigation by Twin Galaxies.

This company is the custodian of old school video game records and Todd Rogers held some of the first world records. This was before he could spend more time at rewarding NZD online casinos.

Rogers has held a record lap time of 5.51 seconds in an old Atari 2600 video game titled Dragster, amongst many other records. This score was logged and lodged with Atari in 1982 and consequently recorded.

Rogers won the award for longest standing video game record from Guinness World Records and Twin Galaxies officially recognised his lap times, acknowledging by publication in 2001.

The Community Queries Rogers Claims

Soon online commenter started querying this claim from Rogers as there was no official documentation to prove his claim, other than later anecdotal evidence and an explanation on Rogers’s personal website explaining how he did it.

The main problem stems from an investigation by players of the games code, which showed that a time of 5.51 is technically impossible to achieve in the game, even if cheating. Twin Galaxies then took the investigation further, which lead the company to stripping Rogers of all his accolades.

Rogers remains defiant stating that his version of the events are completely true and that he achieved that record lap time.