Nolan Bushnell
Founder of Atari and Chuck E. Cheese, often called the father of the video-game industry
- Age
- 83 yrs
- Birthday in 91 days
- Works listed
- 2
- Arcade game, Book
- Honours
- 0
- Awards & distinctions
- Profile views
- 2
- 0 followers
Nolan Bushnell is an American engineer and entrepreneur who co-founded Atari in 1972. Its arcade game Pong launched the video-game industry. He also founded the Chuck E. Cheese restaurant chain and gave a young Steve Jobs one of his first jobs.
Biography
Background
Bushnell studied electrical engineering at the University of Utah, where he played early computer games, and worked at an amusement park.
Computer Space and Atari
With Ted Dabney he built Computer Space (1971), the first commercial arcade video game. In 1972 they founded Atari; engineer Allan Alcorn designed Pong, which was a huge hit.
Home consoles
Atari brought Pong to homes, and Bushnell sold the company to Warner Communications in 1976 to fund the Atari 2600.
Chuck E. Cheese and more
He founded Chuck E. Cheese’s Pizza Time Theatre in 1977 and later about 20 companies, including the incubator Catalyst Technologies.
Timeline
-
1943
Born in Clearfield, Utah, United States
-
1971
Computer Space
-
1972
Co-founds Atari; Pong
-
1976
Sells Atari to Warner
-
1977
Founds Chuck E. Cheese; Atari 2600 released
-
1981
Founds Catalyst Technologies
Notable works
-
1971
Computer Space Arcade game
With Ted Dabney.
-
2013
Finding the Next Steve Jobs Book
Did you know?
-
1
The name Atari comes from a term in the game Go.
-
2
He turned down a one-third stake in Apple for $50,000.
-
3
Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak worked on Atari’s Breakout.
Connections
Frequently asked
Who is Nolan Bushnell?
Nolan Bushnell is an American engineer and entrepreneur who co-founded Atari in 1972. Its arcade game Pong launched the video-game industry. He also founded the Chuck E. Cheese restaurant chain and gave a young Steve Jobs one of his first jobs.
How old is Nolan Bushnell?
Nolan Bushnell is 83 years old, born on 5 February 1943 in Clearfield, Utah, United States.
Where is Nolan Bushnell from?
Nolan Bushnell was born in Clearfield, Utah, United States.
What is Nolan Bushnell known for?
Nolan Bushnell is best known for Co-founding Atari (1972); Pong; Chuck E. Cheese; hiring Steve Jobs.
References
- Nolan Bushnell — Wikipedia. Wikipedia. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
- Nolan Bushnell — Britannica. Encyclopaedia Britannica. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
- Nolan Bushnell — IMDb. IMDb. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
- Nolan Bushnell — Goodreads author page. Goodreads. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
- Official website. nolanbushnell.com. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
- Nolan Bushnell (Q335039) — structured data. Wikidata. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
Includes material from the Wikipedia article “Nolan Bushnell”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. That text is available under the same licence. Learn more
External links
About this profile
- Researched by the TrackFame editorial team; reviewed by Sanjay Sokal under our editorial policy
- First published 4 November 2026
- Last updated
Cite this page
“Nolan Bushnell.” TrackFame, last updated 5 November 2026. https://trackfame.com/person/nolan-bushnell
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