As the Golden Age of video games recedes from us, sadly so do the brilliant minds that created it. One of those minds is Steve Bristow, who was involved in historic developments such as Computer Space, Tank, and the unforgettable Breakout, a title that shaped dozens of clones, and a computer like the Apple II.
Steve Bristow was one of the fortunate few who literally watched video games be born. He was still a student at the University of California (Berkeley) when he and his wife designed the two-player mode for Computer Space, the first commercial game. Both Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney left Nutting Associates (which marketed Computer Space) to found Atari, and Bristow followed them, focusing on versions of Pong for more than two players such as Elimination (also known as Quadrapong), the first cocktail-format arcade machine, and the Indy 800, which allowed eight people to play at once and was so big it didn't fit through the doors of some venues. Needless to say, not all of Bristow's work was glamorous, so to speak. In an old interview with Wired, Bristow revealed that he also did part-time maintenance on Pong machines. Getting a permit to carry firearms was very complicated in Berkeley, but his wife took on the role of bodyguard with an axe in her hand while he collected between a thousand and two thousand dollars in quarters at two in the morning.
From Pong's decline to Tank
The magic of Pong faded almost as fast as it arrived, causing several problems for Atari, including a half-million-dollar debt and several laid-off employees. However, Bristow managed to keep the company afloat with the help of Lyle Rains, and together they created Tank, which saw the light of day in November 1974. Tank supported two players, and its mazes presented a more than interesting challenge, added to the fact that the tanks were quite difficult to control with two joysticks at once.
In the two years that followed, Bristow and Bushnell developed the concept of Breakout, and it was Bristow who wrote the contract for Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, creators of the first prototype. Bristow also revealed that Jobs had offered Bushnell the idea of building a home computer, but Atari's plan was different. Yes, Atari rejected Apple at the time.
Atari's plan and a lasting legacy
What was Atari's plan? Nothing less than its VCS console, better known as the Atari 2600. Some of you may remember that the Atari 2600 came with the game Combat, which was based on Bristow's Tank. What was the general rule for the console's design? According to Bristow's words, that it should be possible to play Tank, Pong, and a racing game.
Steve Bristow left us last Sunday, at the age of 65. This man was not a 'part' of video game history; he wrote it with chisel and hammer, overcoming technical challenges, saving companies, and recognizing the truth that a video game could be enjoyed by several people at the same time. Farewell, and thank you for everything.
