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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.
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Now displaying: December, 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?).

Dec 29, 2019

So.

For the last episode in 2018,  I reviewed a video game-related movie (Megaforce). This year, I fully intended to do that again, but after playing the game "Revenge of the Beefsteak Tomatoes", I decided instead to go with one of its inspirations, the 1978 disaster parody "Attack of the Killer Tomatoes".  It's a...comedy?....about ordinary tomatoes that mutate and go aroud killing people. Also, there's the San Diego Chicken. And a song about puberty.  Yep. 

I couldn't keep all this fun for myself. Sean and Jim from the "Pie Factory" podcast are in the studio to talk about the movie too! Don't worry, I unlocked the door and let them out when it was over.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

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

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

Thanks to Sean Courtney for the "Storytime" theme.

Go to www.carnivalofgleecreations.com for episode links, social media and info about ATARI BYTES, my other monthly show IT'S A PODCAST, CHARLIE BROWN. 

The website also has info about my books MISERY BANANA: VERY SHORT STORIES INSPIRED BY OLD GAMES AND ODD THOUGHTS and the holiday-themed IN THE ST. NICK OF TIME. Links to some of the places to order them too!

Support Atari Bytes financially by subscribing on Patreon.com here.

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

Dec 22, 2019

Like the mud and slush stuck to the runners of Santa's sleigh, episode 204 glides onto your podcast rooftops. No game this week, but plenty of nog-worthy fun! Our short story is: TINY TIM'S ATARI DREAMS.

Thanks to Kevin McLeod at Incompetech.com for creative commons use of his songs "Take a Chance", "Reformat", "Pinball Spring", Jingle Bells", "We Wish You a Merry Christmas", Dance of the Tuba Plum Fairy", and "Oh, Christmas Tree". 

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

Thanks to Sean Courtney for the "Storytime" theme.

Email the show at ataribytes2016@gmail.com. Like the show on our Facebook page. Follow the show on Twitter @ataribytes or follow me personally @carnivalofglee. Check out the Instagram too.

Don't forget, you can call the podcast and leave a voicemail at 563-265-1978 and it might get played on the show.

Check out the website www.carnivalofgleecreations.com for info, social media and show links for ATARI BYTES and my monthly discussion and analysis of all things related to the Peanuts comic strip IT'S A PODCAST, CHARLIE BROWN.

The website also has info about my books IN THE ST. NICK OF TIME and MISERY BANANA: VERY SHORT STORIES INSPIRED BY OLD GAMES AND ODD THOUGHTS, including some of the places you can order them.

Consider becoming a subscriber to the show on the ATARI BYTES Patreon page. You could get early episodes and BONUS episodes. Thanks!

Pick up "Go play some old games, they've missed you" shirts and mugs at AB_Pod_Store on Zazzle.com

Dec 15, 2019

Episode 203 comes to you from a galaxy pretty not far away at all.

In honor of the final installment of the most recent Star Wars trilogy coming out, we're playing STAR WARS: RETURN OF THE JEDI - DEATH STAR BATTLE, inspired by the final installment of the original film trilogy. Does this 1983 Parker Brothers offering feel the force or does it Jar Jar Binks all over the place?

This week's short story: "Life in Three Parts"

By the way, Henry's on the show this week, but you can't hear him a lot of the time because I couldn't convince him to sit closer to the microphone. Kids, man.

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

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

Thanks to Sean Courtney for the "Storytime" theme.

Find ATARI BYTES show notes, episodes and social media at www.carnivalofgleecreations.com. 

Love Snoopy? Every month on IT'S A PODCAST, CHARLIE BROWN, we talk about ALL things in, around, and inspired by the Peanuts comic strip universe.  Go to www.carnivalofgleecreations.com for episodes, show notes and social media. 

Find info and links to some of the places you can order IN THE ST. NICK OF TIME and MISERY BANANA: VERY SHORT STORIES INSPIRED BY OLD GAMES AND ODD THOUGHTS at www.carnivalofgleecreations.com 

Help keep the lights on at ATARI BYTES studios by becoming a Patreon subscriber. Early access! Bonus content! All the goodness!

Pick up "Go play some old games. They've missed you." shirts and mugs at the AB_Pod_Store on Zazzle.com 

Dec 8, 2019

Do you have any idea how hard it is to put four pairs of tiny boxing gloves on a spider?

We find out this week on episode 202 as we're playing the Activision 1982 title SPIDER FIGHTER. Was designer Larry Miller confessing a phobia with this one? His other titles "Snake Strangler", "Dental Damage", and "When You Have to Give a Speech, Blast Everyone Naked with Your Laser" would seem to suggest yes...

This week's short story: RECLUSE REFORMATION

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 the "Storytime" theme.

You can find show notes, social media and all manner of what not for ATARI BYTES here and about my other show, the monthly ode to all things "Peanuts" comics, IT'S  A PODCAST, CHARLIE BROWN, here.

Your podcast host is an author too. Go here for info and retailer links for MISERY BANANA: VERY SHORT STORIES INSPIRED BY OLD GAMES AND ODD THOUGHTS and the holiday themed Santa story for adults IN THE ST. NICK OF TIME.

Support the podcast by becoming a subscriber on Patreon.com. Get episodes early! Get BONUS episodes! Thanks!

Pick up "Go play some old games. They've missed you." shirts, mugs and what not in the AB_Pod_Store on Zazzle.com

Dec 1, 2019

You might not know it from the recent self-destruction of Sears & Roebuck, but back in the day Sears was HIP, man. All the best stuff came from Sears.

And then there's SLOTS, the Sears Tele-Games 1979 version of the Atari title SLOT MACHINE. Because there's nothing eight-year-olds like better than casino gambling.

SLOTS is our focus this week in episode 201 and playing it gives you some insight that the harbingers of Sears's future doom were present even in 1979.

THIS WEEK'S SHORT STORY: "A Place for Everyone and Everyone in Their Place"

*Sorry for the occasional audio drop. Tried to clean them up. Lately, my software seems to be rebeling. Everyone is a critic.

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

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

Thanks to Sean Courtney for the "Storytime" theme.

Info, show links, social media for ATARI BYTES can be found at www.carnivalofgleecreations.com here. Info, show links, and social media for the podcast IT'S A PODCAST, CHARLIE BROWN is here.

Check out Bill's books MISERY BANANA: VERY SHORT STORIES INSPIRED BY OLD GAMES AND ODD THOUGHTS, as well as the holiday-themed Santa Claus for adults, IN THE ST. NICK OF TIME. 

You can support the show financially by becoming a Patreon subscriber here. Early episdes! BONUS episodes! 

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

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