Long before the Nintendo Switch or PlayStation 5, video games had a much simpler form. Atari was a pioneer in American gaming, shaping childhood memories and future game consoles.
"Atari 2600: The Humble Origins of Modern Gaming"
While it may not have been the "golden age" of gaming per se, the Atari days helped shape the gaming world into what it is today, say experts and former Atari fanatics.
“I don't know if I would say this was the golden age, and maybe I'll save that for when the Nintendo Entertainment System came out and took gaming to the next level, but I would definitely say the Atari days were the beginning,” Chris Spear, host of the podcast Chefs Without Restaurants, said in an email interview with Lifewire.
The original Atari was founded in 1972 and was known for its coin-operated arcade games and home video game consoles, such as the Atari 2600: a console where you could swap between different games to play (a completely new concept at the time).
