Atari’s Mike Jang
Some sad news to report on the blog this week. I got word that long-time Industrial Designer at Atari coin-operated division, Mike Jang, has passed away.
I’ve known Mike since 2016, and whilst we never met, he was always on the other end of an email answering my questions and providing really valuable input into my articles here on the blog, and especially so for my book Missile Commander. Mike has always been approachable and happy to share his knowledge and deep insight into the industrial design processes at Atari.
Learning his craft at San Jose State University, Mike joined Atari’s Industrial Design team during the mid 70s and remained there through the eighties. This meant he was fortunate enough to witness the explosion of Atari’s fortunes right through the Golden Age of arcade videogaming. He was right there in the engine room of Atari contributing to the coin-op division’s game output.
As an Industrial Designer, his main role was to refine the ergonomics of arcade cabinets – he was a big advocate of making sure that the physical interface players used to interact with Atari’s game cabinets was just right; and if that meant bespoke controls, parts and mouldings were required, then he would push the company to make it happen. He brought his own artistic flair to his design work, creating some of the most iconic cabinets from the era.
