Watch Easy to Learn, Hard to Master: The Fate of Atari

Easy to Learn, Hard to Master: The Fate of Atari is a documentary film released in 2017 that explores the rise and fall of one of the most iconic video game companies in history. The film is directed by Tomaso Walliser and features interviews with Bil Herd, Nolan Bushnell, Manny Gerard, and other industry insiders who were involved with Atari during its heyday.

The film begins with the early days of Atari, when Bushnell and Ted Dabney founded the company in 1972. The two were inspired by the success of arcade games like Pong and wanted to create their own games. They started out with a game called Computer Space, which was not successful, but they quickly rebounded with Pong, which became a massive hit and put Atari on the map.

From there, the film explores how Atari continued to innovate and dominate the video game market throughout the 1970s and early 1980s. Bushnell and his team created a number of iconic games like Asteroids, Missile Command, and Breakout, which became classics and still influence game design to this day. The company also made a successful foray into the home console market with the release of the Atari 2600, which was a huge success and brought video games into millions of households.

However, as the film shows, Atari's fortunes began to decline in the mid-1980s. The company made a number of missteps, including the disastrous release of E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial game, which was rushed to market and turned out to be a commercial failure. Atari also faced increasing competition from other companies such as Nintendo, which became the dominant player in the video game market by the end of the decade.

The film also explores the management issues that plagued Atari during this time. Bushnell left the company in 1978, and his successors struggled to manage the rapidly growing business. The company also faced a series of mergers and acquisitions, which led to a loss of focus and direction.

Despite these challenges, Atari continued to produce innovative games throughout the 1980s, including Tempest, Battlezone, and Gauntlet. The film shows how these games continued to push the boundaries of what was possible in video game design and influenced generations of developers who came after them.

The film concludes by exploring the legacy of Atari and its impact on the video game industry. While the company ultimately fell on hard times and was forced to declare bankruptcy in 2013, its contributions to the industry are undeniable. The film shows how Atari helped to create an entire culture around video games and inspired countless people to pursue careers in game design.

Overall, Easy to Learn, Hard to Master: The Fate of Atari is an engaging and informative documentary that provides a comprehensive look at one of the most important companies in the history of video games. With insightful interviews and rare archival footage, the film is a must-watch for anyone interested in the evolution of the video game industry.

Easy to Learn, Hard to Master: The Fate of Atari is a 2017 documentary with a runtime of 1 hour and 49 minutes. It has received mostly positive reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 6.5.