To think it started with Pong

There are a couple of important digital events that had major effects on my life.

The first one, of course, was "pong", the video game that launched all video games. I didn't play it at video game arcades. I got the home version made by Magnavox not long after I bought my first house in 1975. I was never very good at it.

The second was my company (at the time, Pacific Telephone) deciding I was worthy of being trained to work on the first digital long distance switching system to be installed in California. That training was 19 or 20 weeks long and stretched over about 6 months. It took me to Baltimore, Columbus, Atlanta, Chicago, and back to Columbus. It gave me a 25 year journey and a job I came to love.

I learned about computers and fell in love with them. It wasn't an all encompassing love, it did not turn into an obsession. I loved my motorcycle more. But who wouldn't?

I bring this up because I read today that Atari filed for bankruptcy. It's actually a ploy to separate the U.S. branch from its French parent. It had been bought up by France's Infogrames Entertainment in 2000 after having been through a string of other owners. It seems that Nintendo and others had been winning the competition for the home and arcade market for some time.

It's sad, really, because I loved the Atari home unit I eventually bought in 1982. Atari was, to me, the epitome of home gaming entertainment.

Atari will not strike out on their own again exactly. They will look for other "sugar daddies" to provide funding, selling even their logo.

The end of an era, I suppose.