Marilyn Churchill Interview

The following interview was conducted over email and is recreated here for readability.

NF: What were the hours like at Atari, did these ever change or were they strictly set? Did you find these hours to ever become too much? If overtime occurred, were you compensated for your time and was there an expectation to work late?

When I started working at Atari the hours were from 9 to 5, but they were not enforced. I felt it was important for me to be present during these core hours because I worked with all the programmers, and some came in early and some late. If there were meetings scheduled, everyone was duly informed and made adjustments to their schedule and showed up on time.

By my second year of employment at Atari I had hired several new artist and was managing the department as well as working on my own projects. I began routinely working 12 hour days and started coming in at 10 and staying late. The other artists almost invariably stuck to their 9 to 5 schedules.

I had complete trust in the integrity of all my artists. Sometimes one of my artists would tell me that surf was up. I would give him the nod and off he’d go for a couple hours, making up the time later.

Although I did not receive overtime, I felt that I was well paid. I am a workaholic by nature and never felt imposed upon. There was never any implied expectation for me to work overtime.

NF: What was the work environment like, the layout of your work space, and was there comradery between co-workers?

I always had my own office. My offices were always large and had windows. The other artists shared a large, creative, open space with their own private desk area, file cabinets, drawing boards, computers etc. There was a good sense of comradery amongst the artists and upper management often complimented me on my department’s espirit-de-corps. There was a big common room packed with arcade games.

NF: Was there a "crunch" culture at Atari as is present today in the contemporary games industry? If these experiences were comparable, how did you and your peers feel about this "crunch" culture? I was wondering if you could speak to your experiences working outside of the games industry before Atari and what were some key differences you noticed?

I had worked as a contract illustrator before Atari, but this was my first in-house job. Atari felt like an extension of college dorm life to me; there was always someone pulling an all-nighter for a final exam, and in this case, it was a game deadline. It was exciting. We felt that we were on the cutting edge of a high-tech revolution. Everyone was young and a nerd, and we all had an excess of energy and idealism.

NF: Do you feel as though you were given creative freedom for your work, say for example on your graphic artwork in Submarine Commander or Meebzork? What was the average timeline on the a given project, how much input was given from above? 

I had an abundance of freedom. When I started working at Atari, no one gave me any direction whatsoever. The “Other Art Department” had package illustration as their focus and they had zero interest in computer graphics and animation. I was given a computer and an office in the programmers wing, separate from the art department. Eventually, my art department became it’s own separate entity. This was ideal for me. I was hard-working and independent and no one was looking over my shoulder. I started out by just talking to the programmers, getting to know them, and figuring out how I could help them with their graphics. Although what was graphically achievable was limited in those days, the limitations were a creative challenge, and I enjoyed finding ways to maximize the effects with optical illusions, and color. I hired an excellent, talented group of artists and continued to nurture this climate of freedom, creativity, and trust.

As I recall, projects usually lasted approximately six months. Programmers and artists alike were given enormous creative freedom.

NF: Was the pay sufficient for the work you were doing? What was the process for ascertaining a higher wage amount? With examples like Tod Fyre's move to get a royalty of ten cents on every 2600 Pac-Man Cartridge, were moves like this a usual among your department?

If you're comfortable, what was your starting salary and what was your salary when you eventually left Atari? Were you aware of what your co-workers salaries were? Was this a taboo subject? Were you paid equally with your co-workers in the coin op department?

I always felt well paid. I felt that I was probably making more money than I could have made working in any other position at Atari.

When I heard that the programmers had negotiated with upper management to receive royalties on the games they developed, I went to dept. head George Kiss and petitioned for the artists to receive royalties too. It was decided that programmers would work with their artists to decide what percentage of the royalties were commensurate with the artist’s contribution. This was a good solution that worked well for everyone. Soon all the artists had down payments for their first homes.

Of course, I was involved in giving my artist’s their salaries and raises, but rates were never broadcast. I never had discussions about money – everyone seemed to be satisfied with their lot.

NF: From what I've read from other sources during the early eighties, the company had left some of its hippie culture from the decade before and established itself as a more corporate work space, was this the case?

By my third year at Atari, (1983) “the suits” were walking the halls. The creative climate began dissolving.

NF: Was your gender a factor in your treatment at Atari? Were there any specific situations where your gender affected your experience or of other female co-workers in that workplace?

Gender was not an issue for me at Atari. I felt that I was well-liked and respected by my co-workers who were predominately male.

NF: Was there a difference in the various departments in how women were treated, say for example the difference between the coin op department versus your own department?

Unknown.

NF: Did you ever feel limited by your identity of being a woman in the male dominated industry? Was there a uniform way in which your male co-workers treated female co-workers?

No. I never felt gender bias at Atari. I always felt respected.

NF: What kind of personality traits were valued in the graphic art department? Were any of these traits seen as gendered? 

Cooperation, respect, trust. Universal traits.

NF: Since you were Atari's first graphic artist, was there trepidation from designers and programmers on your first projects? Did other more senior game developers respect the work you did?

The programmers were relieved when I showed up to offer help. All the artists had great relationships with the programmers. No problems.

Coin-op always looked down on our programmers, but not on the artists. However, our programmers had the last laugh when we got our own royalty set-up.