Info

ATARI BYTES

Remember those great Atari 2600 games? I have fond memories of playing classics like Pitfall or Yar's Revenge or River Raid. In this podcast, I take another look at the games, but as a writer, not a gamer. When I think of these games now, I see writing prompts; taking inspiration from the game plots or maybe even the titles to create original short stories. But this isn't simply fan fiction. The stories, more often than not, spin-off into some weird places in all kinds of genres. Sometimes funny, occasionally serious, always unique.
RSS Feed
2023
December
April
March
February
January


2022
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January


2021
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January


2020
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January


2019
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January


2018
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January


2017
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January


2016
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January


All Episodes
Archives
Now displaying: November, 2019

Remember those great Atari 2600 games? Sure, they were fun to play, but didn't you ever wonder why they sent a plumber to take out Donkey Kong? What Yar was seeking revenge against? What the Defender was defending or why those robots went Berserk? Me too! ATARI BYTES is a game review podcast like no other. We review not just the game play, but the STORY within these classic games. We take a BYTE out of the story (get it?) and see if that story BYTES us back (now do you get it?).

Nov 24, 2019

TWO HUNDRED EPISODES!

Yep, two hundred weeks in a row (well, except for that one week I missed in 2017) this dumb show has been burrowing into your brain via your listening holes. 

To celebrate, this week we're taking a break from writing stories and playing video games. Sort of. We're playing a BOARD game! 

What?!?!

I know!

We're playing the 2018 IDW adaption of one of my favorite games: MISSILE COMMAND, now in board game form. Anarchy, I tell you!

Thanks to Kevin McLeod at Incompetech.com for creative commons use of his songs "Reformat", "Pinball Spring" and "Take a Chance". 

Thanks to Mike Mann for the "Mad Mike Hughes" update theme.

Thanks to Sean Courtney for the "Storytime" theme.

Find show links, info and social media for ATARI BYTES and my other podcast, the monthly ode to all things related to the Peanuts comic strip IT'S A PODCAST, CHARLIE BROWN.

It's the holiday season! Time to pick up books for the book lovers in your life. Go to www.carnivalofgleecreations.com for info and links to some of the places you can pick up IN THE ST. NICK OF TIME and MISERY BANANA: VERY SHORT STORIES INSPIRED BY OLD GAMES AND ODD THOUGHTS.

Become a Patreon subscriber on the Atari Bytes page there. Get episodes early! Get bonus content! Do it!

Pick up "Go Play Some Old Games. They've Missed You." mugs and shirts at www.zazzle.com/ab_pod_store 

Nov 17, 2019

"Blueprint" is a process developed in the 1800s to reproduce techical documents, turning them blue in the process.

Coincidentally, the CBS Electronics game "Blueprint" also makes people blue. What about you?

This week's short story: WITNESS TESTIMONY, THE PEOPLE vs. BARNABY BUILDER

Thanks to Kevin McLeod at Incompetech.com for creative commons use of his songs "Take a Chance", "Reformat" and "Pinball Spring".

Thanks to Mike Mann for the "Mad Mike Hughes" theme.

Thanks to Sean Courtney for the "Storytime" theme.

Find links to info, show notes and social media for ATARI BYTES and the monthly tribute to all things "Peanuts" comics IT'S  A PODCAST, CHARLIE BROWN.

Check info about my books IN THE ST. NICK OF TIME and MISERY BANANA: VERY SHORT STORIES INSPIRED BY OLD GAMES AND ODD THOUGHTS here.

Become a Patreon subscriber here. Early episodes! Bonus episodes!

Pick up "Go Play Some Old Games, They've Missed You." shirts and mugs in the AB_Pod_Store on Zazzle.com

Nov 3, 2019

Remember how great Sears was?

When I was a kid, Sears Roebuck was THE place to shop. And along with your Toughskins and washer/dryer sets, you could get Atari games cleverly renamed and packaged in boring, generic text labels so that...well, I don't know why exactly.

BUT, thanks to this bit of video shell-gaming,  in episode 197 we get to revisit one of the "original nine" from 1977, COMBAT, only now it's called TANK PLUS. "Plus what?" you ask. Plus FUN, my friend!

This week's short story: Who Will Be Tank's Plus One?

Thanks to Kevin McLeod at Incompetech.com for creative commons use of his songs "Take a Chance", "Reformat" and "Pinball Spring". 

Thanks to Mike Mann for the "Mad Mike Hughes" update theme.

Thanks to Sean Courtney for "Storytime" theme.

Links to episodes, show notes and social media for ATARI BYTES and my other podcast IT'S A PODCAST, CHARLIE BROWN can be found at www.carnivalofgleecreations.com. 

Become a financial backer of the podcast by subscribing on the Atari Bytes page on Patreon.com here.

Pick up "Go Play Some Old Games, They've Missed You" stuff at the AB_Pod_Store on Zazzle.com

Check out my collection of short stories MISERY BANANA: VERY SHORT STORIES INSPIRED BY OLD GAMES AND ODD THOUGHTS or my Santa Claus story for adults IN THE ST. NICK OF TIME

1