The Video Game Crash 40th Anniversary - Part 1: Atari - Fixed Audio

The Video Game Crash 40th Anniversary - Part 1: Atari - Fixed Audio

Author: Karl Kuras December 11, 2022 Duration: 2:44:45

ATTENTION:  This is a re-upped version of the episode with corrected audio.  We apologize for the previous entry.

On December 8th, 1982, Warner Communications, parent company of Atari, announced that their guidance to investors concerning their profit outlook would be dramatically lower than it had expected.

While many in the video game space had felt unease at the meteoric rise of the industry over the previous 12 months, the news about Atari missing its targets would be the spark that would ultimately crash the North American console market and almost wipe the industry out completely. How could it come to this? What mistakes were made that caused this new medium to be so fragile?

Hello, and welcome to a very special episode of the Video Game Newsroom Time Machine. This first part of our look back at the Video Game Crash focuses on Atari, its role in creating the console industry, the business decisions that laid the foundation of its demise and its fall.

I'm your host Karl and we have gathered three luminaries in the area of video game history and friends of the show to break down this most formative event in the history of video games. Regular listeners will be familiar with our resident Warden of the Department of Corrections and author of the History of How We Play blog, Ethan Johnson. Dale Geddes, the world renowned FCC regulation specialist.And the master historian, and the man behind the They Create Worlds podcast and book, now available from fine retailers everywhere, Alex Smith.

Recorded November 2022

The full video version of this conversation can be found on our patreon page here:

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Recommended Links:
The History of How We Play: https://thehistoryofhowweplay.wordpress.com/
https://www.youtube.com/@play_history/featured
Gaming Alexandria: https://www.gamingalexandria.com/wp/
They Create Worlds: https://tcwpodcast.podbean.com/
Digital Antiquarian: https://www.filfre.net/
The Arcade Blogger: https://arcadeblogger.com/
Retro Asylum: http://retroasylum.com/category/all-posts/
Retro Game Squad: http://retrogamesquad.libsyn.com/
Playthrough Podcast: https://playthroughpod.com/
Retromags.com: https://www.retromags.com/
Games That Weren't - https://www.gamesthatwerent.com/


Copyright Karl Kuras


Ever wonder what gamers were actually talking about decades ago, before online forums and endless hot takes? Each month, Video Game Newsroom Time Machine hosted by Karl Kuras does exactly that, dusting off the headlines and magazine pages from the past. This isn't just a nostalgia trip; it's a grounded look at the industry's turning points as they happened. You'll hear about the surprising announcements, the forgotten controversies, and the hardware launches that had everyone buzzing-from arcade trends in Japan to home computer wars in Europe and North America. The podcast specifically revisits news from exactly 30, 40, and 50 years prior, creating a unique layered perspective on how video game culture evolved. It’s like sitting in a newsroom from a different era, piecing together the stories that shaped the games we remember today. Tune in for a monthly dose of context, where the past conversations about pixels and processors feel surprisingly fresh and directly connected to the present.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Video Game Newsroom Time Machine
Podcast Episodes
July 1984 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 4:46:54
Jack buys Atari Imagine goes belly up Nintendo's Famicom gets Zapped These stories and many more on this episode of the VGNRTM! This episode we will look back at the biggest stories in and around the video game industry…
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Duration: 2:33:18
Few developers have had as long and prolific career as our guest, Graeme Bayless. From working on mainframes, to selling Kaypros, to playtesting Accolade's launch titles, to producing games for SSI, Sega Technical Instit…
June 1994 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 4:17:15
Hollywood welcomes Siliwood, Saturn and Playstation begin fight for Japanese consumers & 3DO declared DOA These stories and many more on this episode of the VGNRTM! This episode we will look back at the biggest stories i…
Raymond Yap - Wong's International, Mondex [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:30:33
The boom of home computers and electronics in the 1970s and 1980s was as much a success of entrepreneurial endeavor and technological innovation, as it was of the blossoming worldwide supply chain. One of the company's t…
June 1984 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 3:49:02
The home computer market implodes, Atari announces 7800 & Console software dries up. These stories and many more on this episode of the VGNRTM! This episode we will look back at the biggest stories in and around the vide…
Larry J. Dunlap - The Games Network, Imperial Wars [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 4:04:09
The dawn of the home computer seemed to usher in the death of computing's networked past dominated by dumb terminals connected to mainframes, but a few visionaries foresaw a world in which the microcomputer technology in…
May 1994 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 3:52:18
Nintendo and Sega financials dissapoint Sony gets ready for NextGen Venture money goes ga-ga over silliwood These stories and many more on this episode of the VGNRTM! This episode we will look back at the biggest stories…
May 1984 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:34:04
Sinclair ships QLs, Atari looks hopeful & Jack is BACK! These stories and many more on this episode of the VGNRTM! This episode we will look back at the biggest stories in and around the video game industry in May 1984.…
Jay Balakrishnan - HESWare, Radical, Dynamics, Solid State Software [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 4:49:49
In the earliest days of the gaming biz, Human Engineered Software was a trailblazer, bringing big names like Jeff Minter to the US. The company's founder, Jay Balakrishnan, is a serial entrepreneur who not only would hel…
April 1994 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 3:23:27
Nintendo bows to Blockbuster, Commodore enters liquidation & Acclaim-Midway divorce gets messy! These stories and many more on this episode of the VGNRTM! This episode we will look back at the biggest stories in and arou…