Nolan Bushnell, Restauranter, again.

[JJNova]

Everybodys hero is doing it again. This time making Chuck E Cheese for adults? Well, young adults. I'm pretty sure that includes all of us. Newsweek wrote the article and it's being hosted by your good friends at MSN.

Bushnell believes that somewhere along its journey toward 10 billion in worldwide sales, the videogame industry he kick-started with Pong has lost its way. Today's games isolate players in front of their computers or TVs, and the typically violent, complex gameplay alienates big swaths of the population, including pretty much all women. Even massively multiplayer online games like EverQuest are ultimately isolating, Bushnell says. "Games have historically been vehicles for socialization, not sitting alone in your underwear."

HERE's your linky.

I personally find that this could easily turn successful. Especially with Card games. I don;t know if anyone else does it, but when a buddy and I go out for a drink, we generally pump a few quarters into the Touch Maxx machines (or whatever they are called). Now, being able to sit at a cocktail table and play card games in a versus mode, would actually help pass the time away while waiting on your meal. It would especially help me out for those times that the wife and I make dinner arrangements, then get in an argument right before walking out the door. now I wont have to stare at the menu/floor/wallpaper or other women while ignoring her, I can actually stare at the table and interact with it!

[DCVision]

It's awesome to see Bushnell getting his feet wet again!

I wish him well on his future endeavors....

[dethink]

"lost it's way" = bushnell trying to convince himself that his vision of the industry is outdated and anachronistic.

i mean no disrespect by that of course, but he of all people should understand that this industry thrives on moving forward, and this "only simple games can facilitate social activity" mentality, while a neccessary part of it's history, should not be clung to as if it's the only way.

i don't think he's looking at the current crop of popular online titles the right way. the things that make them anti-social and alienates people are the stat whores that play them like a fucking job (if they have one)...the only way to be good at it is to have no life, or face losing to a squeaky teenager who will go "OMG TRIPLE KILL!!1! SUCK MY DICK BITCHES!!!1!" into the mic every 2 seconds. this is not an attractive proposition to most people. i don't think complexity has anything to do with it. yes, complexity alienates people bushnell's age, but most people nowadays have been so inundated with computers at work, etc. that adapting to changes isn't as big a deal.

i think as we get more and more people online (to get more "normal folk" online), and matchmaking services improve, this will remedy the situation.

for example, halo 2 is either a sublimely fun experience, or just listening to a bunch of ish talking trolls like the typical player i outlined above. there really isn't much more fun i've had in 20 years of gaming than a 16 player team battle on a large vehicle filled map. it's like the adult version of cowboys and indians. put a bunch of relatively inexperienced people in there like myself who just care about playing the game, and my headset was filled with riotous laughter on both sides of the match. it wasn't about kiling, winning, or gloating, it was just fun.

i think somehow the next generation of online titles needs to somehow split match making up into people that play like it's their life, and those who just can't fill their living room with friends that evening. maybe some kind of internal clock where putting in over X hours a day for a period of time puts you in the uber-1337 nerd class where you only face like minded individuals who can't go 10 seconds without swearing or quitting once they're down a point?

[ubikuberalles]

Catchy name for his new restaurant chain: uWink Media Bistro

Gotta give Bushnell credit. This will be his 24th venture in 33 years. The guy never gives up.

[chadtower]

now I wont have to stare at the menu/floor/wallpaper or other women while ignoring her, I can actually stare at the table and interact with it!

Couldn't you just bring a real deck of cards and play for free?

[Lady Jaye]

Actually, you might not. I know that this bar where I go to sometimes, won't let us play cards -- and I don't mean poker, I mean something like Phase 10.

[o2william]

This is reminiscent of an idea/daydream I had a few years ago... theme restaurant with screens at every seat, networked play, etc. I don't know if it will work or not (without degenerating into Chuck E. Cheese territory), but I figure if anyone can make it work, it's Bushnell. L.A.'s only about an hour from me, so I'll definitely check out the launch location when it opens.

Bar & grill restaurants have been doing the NTN trivia thing for years, and now they're starting to do networked Texas Hold'em games too, so it's not without precedent. I'd love to see it work.

[CullJeff]

sounds like a good time.

[Aussie2B]

If Chuck E. Cheese was still as cool as it was in the 80s and early 90s, I'd STILL be going, screw it being "just for kids". :P

[CartCollector]

Previous ventures like Pong and even Atari (early consoles supported four joysticks) were all about bringing people together, he says.

FOUR JOYSTICKS??? Where? Unless they're talking about paddles, I haven't seen a 4-player joystick compatible VCS game.

[Phosphor Dot Fossils]

Maybe he's thinking about the 5200 or the Atari 8-bit computers with the 4-joystick thing.

Maybe the uWink Media Bistro name will morph into something catchier. Charles E. Curd's...Italian Eatery ...something or other. Or maybe not.

Either way, we know where they'll film the Starship Bistromath scenes for the third Hitchhiker's Guide movie.

[rally9x]

Please let this be the start of having arcades like Japan. The idea of rows of schmups and fighting games.....ohh man...nope would be too good. Their probably far to complicated for him. I love Nolan though so I hope he pulls it off.