Atari Cartridge From Archaeology Dig Donated To Museum

When it comes to making sure that we are well aware of our heritage and history, a museum would definitely come in handy, as that is a treasure trove of all that has happened in our past. Some museums would more than welcome donations of course, assuming they are useful and fulfil the purpose of leaving a connection to the past. The University of North Dakota has accepted a copy of an Atari video game which was dug up during the archaeological dig for the video game ET: The Extra Terrestrial that was released for the Atari 2600, in a landfill not too long ago. This copy of Centipede was donated by Bill Caraher, an associate professor of history at the college, who also participated in the widely publicized archaeological dig via an Alamogordo, N.M. landfill.

The city of Alamogordo did auction a number of copies on eBay for interested collectors to own a piece of history, where depending on the title, some cartridges actually fetched four-figure prices. Carraher picked up a disposed Centipede cartridge for $60 himself. He then shared that the copy of Centipede that he is donating will include materials that explain “the full context of what went on.”

Edwin Kee
Categories: Gaming
Tags: atari