Selects: E.T.: Is It Really the Worst Video Game of All Time?

# Summary

This Stuff You Should Know episode dives into the fascinating true story behind the E.T. video game for Atari, debunking the popular myth that it's the worst game ever made. Josh and Chuck explore how designer Howard Scott Warshaw was tasked with creating the game in just five weeks (instead of the typical five to six months) to make the Christmas deadline, and while the game turned out to be merely mediocre rather than catastrophically terrible, its disappointing reception perfectly timed with industry-wide troubles helped sink Atari's empire. The hosts also cover the legendary urban myth about Atari burying unsold cartridges in the New Mexico desert, which turned out to be partially true and was eventually excavated in a 2014 documentary dig that gave Warshaw unexpected closure and redemption in the eyes of the gaming community.