#6 Zero = Game Over 👾

Beware of your weakest link.

Feb 21, 2020

In 1982 Atari was the undisputed king of video games. That summer, Stephen Spielberg's new blockbuster, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, was out in theaters.

Without thinking twice, Atari acquired the license to create E.T: The Video Game.

It was a perfect match, or so it seemed.

What should have been a guaranteed home run is now known as "the world's worst video game ever."

It was so terrible that Atari buried all unsold copies in the New Mexico desert, hoping no one would find them.

Photo: taylorhatmaker/Wikimedia

How could this happen?

To better understand we can use a mental model known as Multiplicative Systems by Farnam Street. This model is based on the multiplication property of zero. Any number multiplied by zero equals zero.

The idea is simple. It does not matter how great something appears, it only takes one zero to ruin the whole.

Let's look at the E.T: The Video Game fiasco.

They had the best talent. Howard Warshaw, know as the "Game God," was the creator and programmer.
They had the money. Atari owned 75% of the home videogame market and was generating more than $2 billion a year.
They had a great idea. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial was the film of the year and millions of kids were anticipating the game.
But, they had zero planning capabilities and zero understanding between management and programmers.

This is where it all went wrong.

Licensing negotiations between Atari and Spielberg dragged on for too long because neither side would compromise. By the time Atari's CEO instructed Howard to make the video game, it was too late.

Because the video game had to be in stores by Christmas, Howard had five weeks to complete the game instead of the six-month standard.

Neither their money or talent could save them. The game ended up being too hard, confusing and nothing like the movie. Millions of kids were disappointed that Christmas morning.

The Takeaway:
A chain is only as strong as its weakest link.
We often forget how interdependent things are. We assume that somethings will make up for others, that we will get away with it. But this will not always be the case.
Don't generalize failure.
When something fails we tend to discard it as a whole. Don't. You are probably doing many things right, it's a matter of identifying and fixing the "zeros" in the equation.
This is especially true at a personal level. Think of one aspiration in your life. Something you want to do.
What is the “zero” holding you back?
Find it and make it a nonzero.

Let me know what you think. Comment below.

If you enjoyed this Takeaway share it with a friend that could use it.

You can find previous Takeaways here.

Enjoy your weekend!

María Albert

Sources and additional inputs:

The Takeaway

#6 Zero = Game Over 👾

Beware of your weakest link.

Photo: taylorhatmaker/Wikimedia

“The Worst Video Game Ever?” from the podcast Sidedoors by The Smithsonian Insitute.

The Man Who Made the "worst" Video Game in History

Multiplicative Systems: Understanding The Power Of Multiplying By Zero

Mental Models: The Best Way To Make Intelligent Decisions (109 Models Explained)

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