The Mad Genius Who Created Chuck E. Cheese


Great Big Story interviews Nolan Bushnell, the co-founder of Atari and the creative genus behind the Chuck E. Cheese restaurant franchise.

“The entire history of video games can be traced back to a creative genius by the name of Nolan Bushnell. In 1972, Nolan co-founded Atari, a multi-billion dollar company that changed the face of gaming forever. At the time, arcades were as popular as ever, but the market was quickly becoming saturated. Nolan wanted to break into a new demographic and had a dream of creating a gaming space dedicated entirely to kids. However, in the 1970s, families were still hesitant to introduce their children to the world of video games. Nolan knew that gaming needed a friendly face to change their hearts and minds, and thus was born Chuck E. Cheese.”

Previously: The Tale of the 90’s Live-Action Video Game, ‘Mad Dog McCree’