insertclevernamehere Posted January 29, 2019 Share Posted January 29, 2019 (edited) I've been sitting on this question for some time, worried that either people won't find it interesting enough to respond to or the answer would be too one sided but I've finally thought, what the heck. If, like me, you're a fan of both Atari and Blade Runner, one thing that you may always get a kick out of seeing in said movies is the Atari logo. In that otherwise bleak, dystopian alternate universe, there's a small silver lining in the knowledge that Atari is still a major player in the videogame industry. So my question is, do you love Atari so much that you would be willing to exchange living in this world for that of the Blade Runner world, with all it's environmental degradation, just for that alternate Atari experience? Or is that world so grim, not even a major, vibrant Atari would be enough? After all, we still have our nostalgia and a massive library of original games and homebrews and atari age and while things are far from perfect in this world, it's nowhere near as awful as the BR world. Right? Personally, while I love Atari, I would not be willing to sacrifice my life in this world to live in the world of Blade Runner. Not even for Atari. How about everyone else? Edited February 1, 2019 by insertclevernamehere Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColecoJoe Posted January 29, 2019 Share Posted January 29, 2019 We live in a pretty bleak and dark world right now as it is. Atari is just fun games from my childhood that I still enjoy playing today. Other than that, life goes on. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+slx Posted January 29, 2019 Share Posted January 29, 2019 Most of my love for things Atari is probably a mix of clinging to a past when I still fully understood computers and collecting out of reach stuff I ogled in magazine ads in the 80s. That's probably the reason I don't feel as attached to my STs. I love the hardware more than the brand and the current Atari seems to be not much more than an organization trying to cash in on past glory and other people's fondness for the games of their youth. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flojomojo Posted January 29, 2019 Share Posted January 29, 2019 Call me Lukewarm Luke, on average. I have fond memories of the 2600, 7800, Lynx, and to some extent, Jaguar. I feel an intense, burning indifference for the computers, and the 5200. My cold little heart is filled with rage against the current brand holder, "Atari SA," because they're greedy, incompetent, lawsuit-happy asswipes. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
godslabrat Posted January 29, 2019 Share Posted January 29, 2019 Atari is that company that made an awesome system 40 years ago, then a couple oddities here and there. Then it went out of business. It's basically the great uncle who died before I really got to know him. So you could say I love it, but it's that kind of love. Who we see today, though, isn't Great Uncle Atari. It's the Nigerian guy who found his social security card and opened up some accounts in his name. No love for them at all. Frankly, a waste of oxygen. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mulletino Posted January 29, 2019 Share Posted January 29, 2019 I love the original Atari as it was the company that got me on the road to home console gaming. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
racerx Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 Like others, I'm in love with the old company and its groundbreaking products. I can't relate at all to those who need the corporate name to live on in some zombie capacity. When a beloved pet dies, we celebrate its life and cherish its memories. We then move on. I don't need ensuing pets to bear the same name just to pretend ol' Fido is still alive. In your situation, no. Not even close. I've already moved on...no point in living in a broken dystopia for a videogame company. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+TwentySixHundred Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 Im also in the same boat as the others. The old Atari was great and fond memories, the new is a joke. I wont lie in the later years i have enjoyed the Test Drive series and Rollercoaster Tycoon games. However the only Atari part of them is the label slapped on the box. And thank f^&k for that. IMO the only way to make Atari great again would be to sell it off to Al here at AA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keatah Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 The original Atari VCS console, in the warm basement in the 70's and 80's is what it's all about for me. A catalyst to remember the good times of discovery and coming of age. Supplement it with the C64, Apple II, and 400/800 for a well rounded vibrant experience. I don't particularly ogle after 80's cultures and themes too much. It's all become cliche' today. Overused. Over-retro'd. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+x=usr(1536) Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 I love Atari so much that I'd take a bullet for it, then get a tattoo to commemorate the event. If we're talking Atari SA, I'd burn it to the ground then get a tattoo to commemorate the event. Unfortunately, the 'burning to the ground' part is frowned upon by various law enforcement agencies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+save2600 Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 Atari you say? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
insertclevernamehere Posted January 30, 2019 Author Share Posted January 30, 2019 (edited) I need to change the thread title as it's too vague and people aren't answering my question. This whole thread is going completely off track. I'll repeat my question again here and I've pm'd Albert requesting a thread title change. Basically, we can extrapolate from the prominent Atari logo in the Blade Runner movies that Atari is still a major player in the videogame industry in the alternate reality of those movies. The problem is, no matter how bad you think our current world is, it's not as dystopian or environmentally degraded as the one in the 2 BR movies. So based on how much you love the Atari of old, would you be willing to live in the Blade Runner world just to have a vibrant Atari back or stay in our current reality with the Atari that is a sad, shadow of its former self? Edited January 30, 2019 by insertclevernamehere Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flojomojo Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 I wouldn't get too fussed about editing the thread title. You can always make a new one, or carry on here now that you've said more. Atari in the Blade Runner world is just a neon logo. All we know is that they paid the rent to have a big sign. They could make glowing umbrellas or noodles or artificial eyes. Or maybe they don't make anything, and they just license their name. Pay phones, rigid caste system under mega corporate control, artificial humans treated as slaves, rains all the time. Our present day has problems, but it's probably better than Blade Runner World. I wouldn't want to visit a theme park like that, let alone live there. Sad reality/healthy Atari vs healthy reality/sad Atari? I'll take the latter, thanks for asking. If you like thinking about this kind of thing, you'd probably enjoy https://typesetinthefuture.com/2016/06/19/bladerunner/ 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fiddlepaddle Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 I wouldn't mind running away with Sean Young, whether Atari is around or not. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
godslabrat Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 I need to change the thread title as it's too vague and people aren't answering my question. This whole thread is going completely off track. I'll repeat my question again here and I've pm'd Albert requesting a thread title change. Basically, we can extrapolate from the prominent Atari logo in the Blade Runner movies that Atari is still a major player in the videogame industry in the alternate reality of those movies. The problem is, no matter how bad you think our current world is, it's not as dystopian or environmentally degraded as the one in the 2 BR movies. So based on how much you love the Atari of old, would you be willing to live in the Blade Runner world just to have a vibrant Atari back or stay in our current reality with the Atari that is a sad, shadow of its former self? You aren't taking all relevant factors into account: do I also get robot snakes and Daryl Hannah in her skivvies? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+x=usr(1536) Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 Also, I want a spinner. Been crazy to have one of those since seeing the original cut in 1982. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
insertclevernamehere Posted January 30, 2019 Author Share Posted January 30, 2019 (edited) You aren't taking all relevant factors into account: do I also get robot snakes and Daryl Hannah in her skivvies? You'd get everything. The good and the bad. A vibrant Atari, flying cars and sexy replicants but also the environmental degradation, pollution and non-smokers being a tiny minority. Edited January 30, 2019 by insertclevernamehere Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flojomojo Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 I wouldn't mind running away with Sean Young, whether Atari is around or not.IT'S TOO BAD SHE WON'T LIVEBUT THEN AGAIN, WHO DOES? 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keatah Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 To answer the question directly, I do not like or care about modern-day atari one iota. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pacman000 Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 Oh Atari, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways! I love the with all the depth & breadth & width of my heart! But not enough for me to want to live in Blade Runner. Tho flying cars may make me re-consider... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+x=usr(1536) Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 IT'S TOO BAD SHE WON'T LIVE BUT THEN AGAIN, WHO DOES? "More Human Than Human" is our motto. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColecoJoe Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 I need to change the thread title as it's too vague and people aren't answering my question. This whole thread is going completely off track. I'll repeat my question again here and I've pm'd Albert requesting a thread title change. Basically, we can extrapolate from the prominent Atari logo in the Blade Runner movies that Atari is still a major player in the videogame industry in the alternate reality of those movies. The problem is, no matter how bad you think our current world is, it's not as dystopian or environmentally degraded as the one in the 2 BR movies. So based on how much you love the Atari of old, would you be willing to live in the Blade Runner world just to have a vibrant Atari back or stay in our current reality with the Atari that is a sad, shadow of its former self? No. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+davidcalgary29 Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 I need to change the thread title as it's too vague and people aren't answering my question. This whole thread is going completely off track. I'll repeat my question again here and I've pm'd Albert requesting a thread title change. Basically, we can extrapolate from the prominent Atari logo in the Blade Runner movies that Atari is still a major player in the videogame industry in the alternate reality of those movies. The problem is, no matter how bad you think our current world is, it's not as dystopian or environmentally degraded as the one in the 2 BR movies. So based on how much you love the Atari of old, would you be willing to live in the Blade Runner world just to have a vibrant Atari back or stay in our current reality with the Atari that is a sad, shadow of its former self? Would we get to fly Pan-Am again too? But to repeat other responses: NO. Ew! You should read Denis Villeneuve’s comments on why he wanted to feature Atari so prominently in 2049. It’s pretty interesting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KevKelley Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 It took my family some time to get a Nintendo but we had my dad's Atari. I would wake up early to go in the basement when my brothers would go to school to play games like Joust, Atlantis, or Dig Dug. I even had Alpha Beam with Ernie (because I guess my parents figured I could learn from the system. We didn't have many games but it was awesome. By the time I had my own job, video games were getting expensive so I got back into the VCS scene buying my old favorites and some new ones. Learning about homebrews made the system even more endearing and since I record music, discovering things like the SynthCart solidified my love. I got tired of waiting for these graphically beautiful games only to be met with horrible game play, micro transactions, or online limitations. I love the simplicity and fun and am amazed by the creativity Atari programmers possess. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fr0st Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 Atari is basically my childhood to me, the name alone gives me that feeling you can't quite catch when you remember being a kid, much like Christmas morning. I don't get too caught up with all the overselling of the brand these days to let it tarnish my personal memories, it's much the same with the way yoko has tarnished lennons name with all the tat she sells now with his image, fuck it I've still got my memories of my time with atari (and John lennon) so I'm happy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Like us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
AtariAge on Instagram
Watch us on YouTube
Chat on Discord
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.