FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

New book released on the 40th anniversary of PONGtm commemorates the video game industry’s first corporate titan and the history makers behind the company’s success.

New York, New York - November 29, 2012 -- Today, people ask, “Do you play video games?" but in the 70’s and 80's, people asked, “Do you play ATARI?" The noted video game historian team of Marty Goldberg and Curt Vendel answer that question and more in their book, ‘Atari Inc. – Business is Fun’ - a definitive look at the origins and 40 year history of the very first video game industry icon, Atari.

Over seven years in the writing, ‘Atari Inc. – Business Is Fun’ is the TRUE, unvarnished accounting of a brand that became not just a household name, but a cultural phenomenon. Available now for sale via Amazon.com, “Our intent was to focus on the behind-the-scenes stories from the people who worked there," said Goldberg. "’Atari Inc. – Business Is Fun’ goes beyond facts and figures – we wanted to give readers an unparalleled look into what it was like to work at a place that created fun for a living as told by the people who were responsible for Atari’s success."

Goldberg and Vendel joined forced to compile hundreds of hours of interviews and thousands of original Atari documents they’d acquired, condensing it all into a 800 page tribute to the founders and employees who created the Atari legacy. With over 300 pages of exclusive never before seen behind the scenes photos, ‘Atari Inc. – Business Is Fun’ encapsulates every element of what it was like to work at one of the worlds most influential and innovative electronic entertainment companies of all time.

Vendel elaborates, "Most people associate Atari with the company logo, video games like ‘PONG’ and how revolutionary the company was by bucking the ‘Big Blue’ mold, letting people show up to work in jeans and sandals, but the public at large was never exposed to the hearts and souls that created the company. This book will dispel… and maybe also ‘confirm’ numerous rumors by giving readers that front row, first person experience.”

‘Atari Inc. - Business Is Fun’ also offers an unparalleled look into the inner workings of what it was like to work in Silicon Valley in the 1970’s and 1980's… and to do that at the most outrageous, innovative company of its time… a company whose sole intent was to create FUN for a living!

About The Authors:

Martin Goldberg: Video game programmer and industry writer veteran of 13 years, former site director of IGN/GameSpy's 'ClassicGaming.Com,' freelancer for Retro Gamer magazine, co-founder of the Midwest Gaming Classic (one of the largest electronic entertainment expos in the United States), co-founder of the Electronic Entertainment Museum - E2M (a non-profit archive preserving the history and artifacts of the video game and home computer industries), member of the International Game Development Association's (IGDA) Game Preservation SIG (a community for those interested in digital game preservation and history).

Curt Vendel: Entrepreneur, founder and CEO of Bidiots! (former online auction site for video game artifacts), founder and CEO of Awesome Arcades LLC (former manufacturer of home arcades), former IT Systems Engineer, self-taught Electrical Engineer, historian, founder and curator of the Atari History Museum, valued resource for Atari insight and archival information by Atari, SA., Atari Interactive, numerous research institutions, trade publications and entertainment magazines, television networks and movie studios. Vendel holds a BS in Computer Science.

Atari and PONG are registered trademarks of Atari Interactive.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Book preview:  ataribook.com/chapter1preview.pdf

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Email:  ataribook@gmail.com