From Atari (Remember It?), a New Console With Old Games<br />“I became a computer engineer because I fell in love with technology through<br />Atari,” said Curt Vendel, a most devoted Atari buff and a computer engineer.<br />The console, known as the Flashback, was one of the best-selling items in early November at Dollar General, one of the nation’s largest chains.<br />“Atari was what you said to your opponent if you put their stones in jeopardy, kind of like check in chess,” Mr. Bushnell explained in an interview.<br />He was running something called the Atari Historical Society, a virtual archive built on a voluminous personal collection spanning Atari coffee mugs<br />and a couple Androbots, which were clunky robots built by a different company backed by Mr. Bushnell.<br />“Atari shaped my life,” said Mr. Vendel, who consulted with Atari for a few years afterward.<br />Frédéric Chesnais, the chief executive, summed up the appeal: “It’s simple, it’s addictive, you can have a fun experience in a couple of minutes.”<br />The Atari I bought at Bed Bath & Beyond is the first one I’ve ever owned.<br />A working paper put out this summer by the National Bureau of Economic Research cited video games as a reason young men are working fewer hours.
