2009 Academy Fellow – Nolan Bushnell

Nolan Bushnell, video games pioneer and Atari Inc founder, was humbled to accept the 2009 BAFTA Fellowship at the 2009 GAME British Academy Video Games Awards.

Electrical engineer, entrepreneur and Atari Inc founder Nolan Bushnell is credited by many for kick-starting the video games revolution. In 1972 he oversaw Pong, one of the best-loved and most-played video games of all time.

“The Fellowship is the highest accolade the Academy can bestow on an individual for their creative work and we are very excited that Nolan is flying over to accept it at the Awards,” said David Parfitt, chair of the Academy.

“His contribution is nothing short of remarkable, he ushered in an era, the legacy of which is the vibrant, evolving industry we see before us today.”

He was awarded the Fellowship at a ceremony on 10 March at the London Hilton.

At one stage the massive number of people playing Pong reputedly caused a coin shortage in the US – with new coins minted to meet demand. Bushnell’s impact on the video game industry saw him named one of 50 Men That Changed America by Newsweek.

Pong was the first video game to win widespread popularity in both arcades and the home console market thanks to its simple format and instantly accessible gameplay.

Nolan follows legendary games designer Will Wright to become the Academy’s second Fellow from the world of video games.

He said: “I am humbled to be selected for this honour. The British people are not only great game players but have historically been some of the best game creators. The pub culture and country house drawing room environments have been instrumental in spawning games and game players through the centuries. I am very grateful to receive an award from the people with a history of creating and embracing this type of entertainment.”

Awarded every year by the Academy, the BAFTA Fellowship is the highest accolade given to an individual in recognition of an outstanding and exceptional contribution to film, games or TV.

Previous Fellows include Elizabeth Taylor, Stanley Kubrick, Anthony Hopkins, Laurence Olivier, Judi Dench and Vanessa Redgrave.

For more inspiring stories from the world of film, games and TV explore our BAFTA Award Stories section.