Nolan Bushnell: A Life in Pixels

Nolan Bushnell, gaming legend and Atari Inc founder, shared how he believes “games are good for you”.

Bushnell, the pioneering founder of Atari Inc, is credited for kick-starting the video games revolution. In 1972 he oversaw Pong, one of the most-played games of all time. He was honoured with a prestigious BAFTA Fellowship in 2009.

Bushnell told a special Life in Pixels event on 19 March, 200, how games can enhance people’s lives.

“Games are good for you,” he said.

“They make you smarter, they help you solve problems. They delay the onset of Alzheimer’s. Anything we can do to promote gameplay, the better off we are.”

Watch Bushell’s talk below:

With over 30 years’ experience creating attention-grabbing entertainment, Bushnell remains at the forefront of the gaming world. His impact on the video game industry saw him named one of 50 Men That Changed America by Newsweek.

At one stage the massive number of people playing Pong, the era-defining game he oversaw, reputedly caused a coin shortage in the US – with new coins minted to meet demand.

In his Life in Pixels talk, Bushnell tracked the development of the video games industry and explored the future possibilities of gaming. He spoke passionately about video gaming stereotypes before answering questions from fans submitted on the BAFTA website.

“The really neat thing about the games business is that it really stretches the tech imagination as well as the artistic,” he said.

“There’s this wonderful marriage of technology and art that I find really exhilarating.”

For more inspiring Life in Pixels stories from the world of film, games and TV explore our BAFTA News Stories section.