Nolan Bushnell: Founder of Atari and Chuck E. Cheese

Nolan Bushnell: Founder of Atari and Chuck E. Cheese

Business Owner · Toys & Games

Sunnyvale

Nolan Bushnell founded Atari and the Chuck E. Cheese chain, started more than 20 companies and is called one of the founding fathers of the video game industry.

About Nolan Bushnell: Founder of Atari and Chuck E. Cheese

Nolan Kay Bushnell (born February 5, 1943, in Clearfield, Utah) is an American businessman and electrical engineer who established Atari, Inc. and the Chuck E. Cheese chain. He has been inducted into the Video Game Hall of Fame and the Consumer Electronics Association Hall of Fame, received the BAFTA Fellowship and the Nations Restaurant News "Innovator of the Year" award, and was named one of Newsweek's "50 Men Who Changed America". He has started more than 20 companies and is one of the founding fathers of the video game industry. He is on the board of Anti-Aging Games and in 2012 founded the educational software company Brainrush, which uses video game technology in learning software. He is credited with Bushnell's Law, the aphorism that games that are "easy to learn and difficult to master" are rewarding. Bushnell was born to a middle-class family who were members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and attended Davis High School in Kaysville, Utah. He enrolled at Utah State University in 1961 to study engineering and later business, and in 1964 transferred to the University of Utah, graduating with a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering. Sources: English Wikipedia (Nolan Bushnell, accessed September 2026).

Basic Information

Founder, Atari, Inc. and Chuck E. Cheese

Company Details

Atari / Chuck E. Cheese / Brainrush

Video Games, Family Entertainment, Education Software