The Sunday past was a very sad day. Jack Tramiel, the founder of the legendary Commodore 64 passed away at the age of 83. Tramiel can be credited with bringing joy to various households through his personal computer. Home computing done the Commodore way has evolved into console gaming, which has become a way to relax.
The commodore 64 is a device that I own and have given an honorary place in my gadget collection. It was initially played like there was no tomorrow and as technology has evolved it has gotten full of dust. I can vividly remember the terrible graphics and the constant jarring of the hand held controller but in all honesty it was pure gaming. No sound, no special effects just hours of fun.
As time went on, SEGA arrived with their “Megadrive” and then Microsoft and Sony launched their challengers. Nintendo only arrived late on the scene and disrupted the industry with their motion based gaming.
Success with the C64 aside, Tramiel was ousted from Commodore in 1984, and from there he purchased Atari for a song after the home-gaming console market crash significantly which devalued its brand. From there, Atari under Tramiel launched 32-bit Atari ST computer in a bid to combat the Amiga home computer. In recent years Atari has evolved into a developing house that creates games for a variety of devices (PC, PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii).
Jack Tramiel might not have been as well known as Bill Gates or Steve Jobs but he played a part in both the personal computing and console gaming industries. Mr Tramiel, thank you for the hours of fun and for making me someone who loves both PC’s and console gaming. It really is the end of an era.
