Co-founder of Atari, Ted Dabney (pictured left) has died of most cancers, aged 81.
Dabney was thought-about by many to be one of many fathers of recent gaming, having co-founded Atari and collaborated with Allan Alcorn to create Pong.
Games historian Leonard Herman introduced Dabney’s passing by way of Facebook on Saturday, writing: “I just learned that my good friend, Ted Dabney, the co-founder of Atari, passed away at the age of 81. RIP dear friend. Your legacy will live on a long time!”
Born in San Francisco in 1937, Dabney loved a various profession. He served within the US marines, labored as an electrician at Bank of America, and even ran a grocery retailer and a deli, earlier than co-founding some of the vital gaming manufacturers of all time.
In 1972, Dabney and fellow Ampex worker Nolan Bushnell based Atari and produced their first recreation, Computer Space. Dabney engineered the arcade recreation’s bodily operate, utilizing reasonably priced elements from customary tv units to save lots of on prices. The iconic coin slot was designed by Dabney himself.
While this recreation didn’t fairly take off, Atari constructed on the idea for its subsequent mission, just a little recreation named ‘Pong’. Dabney left the corporate the next yr, however remained influential within the business, creating new video games for Atari’s bodily shops and dealing at corporations similar to Raytheon and Fujistu.
Dabney was recognized with esophageal most cancers in 2017. He selected to not obtain remedy. Tributes got here pouring in following the announcement, together with a honest message from his ex-partner Bushnell, with whom he had had a rocky relationship.
“Ted was my partner, co-founder, fellow dreamer and friend,” Bushnell writes. “I’ll always cherish the time we spent together. RIP.”
“Crushed to learn of the passing of my friend and Atari co-founder Ted Dabney. Always so gracious and humble,” provides recreation historian, Patrick Scott Patterson. “Thank you for everything, Ted.”
Dabney leaves an indelible stamp on the world of gaming. His legacy will encourage engineers, designers, and builders for years to come back.
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