Some unhappy information to report on the weblog this week. I acquired phrase that long-time Industrial Designer at Atari coin-operated division, Mike Jang, has handed away.
I’ve identified Mike since 2016, and while we by no means met, he was all the time on the opposite finish of an e mail answering my questions and offering actually useful enter into my articles right here on the weblog, and particularly so for my e-book Missile Commander. Mike has all the time been approachable and completely satisfied to share his information and deep perception into the commercial design processes at Atari.
Studying his craft at San Jose State College, Mike joined Atari’s Industrial Design workforce in the course of the mid 70s and remained there by means of the eighties. This meant he was lucky sufficient to witness the explosion of Atari’s fortunes proper by means of the Golden Age of arcade videogaming. He was proper there within the engine room of Atari contributing to the coin-op division’s recreation output.
As an Industrial Designer, his primary position was to refine the ergonomics of arcade cupboards – he was a giant advocate of creating positive that the bodily interface gamers used to work together with Atari’s recreation cupboards was good; and if that meant bespoke controls, elements and mouldings had been required, then he would push the corporate to make it occur. He introduced his personal inventive aptitude to his design work, creating among the most iconic cupboards from the period.
It is vitally simple to take as a right a few of Atari’s cupboard design selections, however all had been deeply thought by means of by Mike and his workforce, extensively examined after which produced – principally in-house – leading to essentially the most diversified portfolio of arcade cupboards ever produced by one producer. Atari had been the business leaders on this regard by a rustic mile. Mike’s work was in depth and he was chargeable for lots of Atari’s patents, made in his identify.
This image was taken in 1981. Mike is captured right here discussing the design of Atari’s Asteroids Deluxe cupboard with colleague Dave Prepare dinner:
Mike had the chance to fly to Atari Eire to supervise the preliminary manufacturing of 1 his cupboards, Roadblasters. While there, he shared these images with me that he personally took on the Tipperary facility:
I documented in my e-book the in depth work that Mike put into the unique design of the Missile Command prototype cupboard. He had this to say:
Arcade video games had been pre-CAD so we drew up the cupboard with drafting tables, pencil, and paper. Every bit of wooden or plastic was drawn and despatched to the engineering woodshop to be constructed. Steel elements went to a different in home store. All the things was carried out inside our constructing in order to maintain the sport secret from the competitors.
Extract from interview with Mike Jang discussing the commercial design course of at Atari
Mike sketched out the preliminary concepts for Missile Command, based mostly on US army nuclear consoles – preserving the vibe related to the sport’s subject material:
The primary primary purpose is to construct a recreation that’s put out for testing. Often just one was constructed since one by no means knew if it is going to make mega bucks or no bucks. If the primary take a look at goes good, we would construct and take a look at extra. That was a gross sales and advertising name. If it examined good, there could be a giant push to enter manufacturing as quickly as attainable. Purpose being, unscrupulous corporations would spot a recreation on take a look at and begin making their very own unlawful copies. It’s higher to get the sport out and promote as many as attainable earlier than the copiers confirmed up. That was less expensive than going to courtroom and sue.
Extract from interview with Mike Jang discussing the commercial design course of at Atari
When the unique Missile Command cupboard got here again from testing with damaging suggestions concerning the giant marquee, he went again to his design sketch and made a reasonably dramatic change:
As you’ll be able to see, a key a part of Mikes job, was to offer options to issues arising from creating arcade cupboards, testing {hardware}, both internally or out within the subject, inevitably creates points that can want fixing, requiring the commercial design workforce to return to the drafting board to amend their preliminary creations. This could be a reasonably thankless job as you’ll be able to think about, however Mike was completely satisfied to oblige most requests.
I didn’t work together with Mike Jang an important deal, however once I was doing temperature testing of the video games and located the temperature inside was too excessive Mike didn’t have an issue placing in a vent, generally an additional vent, and generally a fan.
Jed Margolin, Atari engineer and colleague
Listed below are some extra cupboard designs that Mike was chargeable for throughout his time at Atari:
I spoke to Mike about his work on the Star Wars cupboard, and he had this to say:
I began the ideas for the Star Wars cupboard and later one other designer did extra detailed work on the plastic half in entrance of the monitor. One of many primary components I sketched up had been the hydraulic ram shapes on the plastic elements. These rams had been typically seen within the film, particularly the ramp to the Millennium Falcon. Additionally I needed to proceed the mechanical theme by including that truss fashion design to the perimeters of the roof. I used to be involved as a result of that was a particle board half that was reduce with an angled router bit. Then the naked particle board was simply painted black. I used to be apprehensive concerning the wooden texture look however no person seen after every thing else was put in place.
Mike Jang discussing Star Wars cupboard design
One other two video games that spring to thoughts are Firefox, the place Mike was chargeable for the management panel design, and Hydra which used one in all Mike’s full cupboard sketches.
His full discography of arcade cupboard design is just too in depth to cowl right here, however his work spanned nearly 20 years and was extraordinarily diversified as you’ll be able to see.
Put up Atari, Mike was huge on Scorching Rodding and took his design abilities to mock up automobile designs. Right here is his 1951 Mercury coupe that he acquired in 1989 and spent many hours meticulously customising. He nonetheless owned this automobile proper as much as his passing:
Arcadeblogger.com is a richer expertise due to Mike’s enter through the years, and my e-book could be a lesser tome had been it not for Mike’s distinctive perspective and element on the occasions main as much as, and after, the creation of the prototype Missile Command cupboard.
Though Mike is not with us, his design legacy does stay on in among the implausible trying arcade {hardware} he created – take a look out for these machines subsequent time you’re at an arcade, and lift a glass if you play.
One of many issues that Mike did just lately, was to donate all of his outdated Atari paperwork for archiving at Stanford College. The Michael Jang assortment of Atari supplies, 1978-1991 may be accessed and considered by researchers for years to return, which is nice information.
Mike I’m positive can be deeply missed by his Atari colleagues, who communicate very extremely of him as a designer, but additionally a good friend and particular person; and based mostly on my interactions with him, I might completely echo these sentiments right here and ship condolences to his household and associates.
I hope in a small approach, this tribute highlights a few of Mike’s very good work.
See you subsequent time.
Tony
