Amid furor over past sexism, Atari co-founder loses prestigious award

On Tuesday, the Game Developers Conference announced its prestigious Pioneer Award for 2017 would be going to Nolan Bushnell, who co-founded Atari with partner Ted Dabney. By Wednesday, the conference had rescinded the award amid industry outcry over stories about Bushnell's sexist behavior during the industry's formative years—stories that often originated from Bushnell himself.

Those opposed to Bushnell's award organized quickly around the #notnolan hashtag on Twitter, highlighting public stories of Bushnell's questionable behavior around women during his time at Atari in the '70s. Those stories include Bushnell's tales of business meetings in hot tubs and of "Atari board meetings [that] seemed more like fraternity parties than business meetings" (as recalled in Steven Kent's book The Ultimate History of Video Games); Bushnell wearing an "I love to fuck" T-shirt around the office (as related in a 2011 interview with Atari executive Ray Kassar); and Bushnell code-naming projects after "stacked" female employees (as recounted in a 2012 Playboy profile).

"Some ladies feel comfortable around me, and some don't," Bushnell once told The San Francisco Chronicle. "I find the aura of power and money is very intimidating to an awful number of girls."

A GDC representative told Glixel late Tuesday that the nominating committee was unaware of these kinds of stories and was looking "more closely" at the decision in the wake of their amplification. By Wednesday, the conference had issued a statement on Twitter rescinding the award:

“The Game Developers Choice Awards Advisory Committee, which votes on the Special Awards winners for each show, has made the decision not to give out a Pioneer Award for this year’s event following additional feedback from the community. They believe their picks should reflect the values of today’s game industry and will dedicate this year’s award to honor the pioneering and unheard voices of the past.”

In his own Twitter statement, Bushnell seemed to take full responsibility for his actions and actually complimented the GDC for its response. "I applaud the GDC for ensuring that their institution reflects what is right, specifically with regards to how people should be treated in the workplace. And if that means an award is the price I have to pay personally so the whole industry may be more aware and sensitive to these issues, I applaud that, too.

"If my personal actions or the actions of anyone who ever worked with me offended or caused pain to anyone at our companies, then I apologize without reservation," Bushnell's statement concludes.

A sign of the times

The uproar surrounding Bushnell's award comes in the wake of the public fall of Harvey Weinstein and the resulting MeToo movement that has brought to light widespread allegations of sexual abuse and harassment in the worlds of entertainment, politics, technology, and more. That environment formed the scaffolding for much of the industry's response to Bushnell's award announcement, as captured in a tweet from Worcester Polytechnic Institute professor Gillian Smith: "While other industries are distancing themselves from the abusive and sexist behaviors of powerful men, GDC is giving a pioneer award to one of them."

"In short, the choice makes sense from a purely historical perspective and Nolan is unquestionably a pioneer in video games," former International Game Developers Association (IGDA) leader Kate Edwards told VentureBeat. "But to make that selection right now—in the midst of #MeToo, Time’s Up, and a general awareness explosion around workplace harassment—was incredibly tone-deaf. Despite having to make a reverse decision, GDC has now made the right decision.”

Many observers also noted that the GDC Pioneer Award, and the similar Lifetime Achievement Award, have never gone to a woman since their creation in 2000 (three women have won the organization's Ambassador award, for those that help the industry "advance to a better place"). Marist professor Karen Schrier shared a list of dozens of women she believes are deserving of the award in Bushnell's place.

On the other side, some Bushnell defenders have cited the age of the stories surrounding Bushnell's behavior merely as a reflection of a more free-wheeling tech and corporate culture in the '70s. Others argue that the stories of Bushnell's uncomfortable statements and an unwelcoming workplace don't rise to the level of physical assault and malicious career blackballing that have characterized allegations against others.

That's not an argument that held much sway with many in the industry. "We can’t excuse behavior that repeatedly objectifies women, creates a hostile work environment, or discriminates against people by saying that it was typical of an era," IGDA Interim Director Jen McLean told VentureBeat. "We know better now, and we must do better, as individuals, as companies and organizations, and as an industry."