The E.T. Video Game Cover-Up: How Atari’s Biggest Fail Became a Treasure Hunt

The Tularosa basin in New Mexico has a rather unusual history. The stories and legends are prolific in the histories of the peoples who have passed through it over the centuries.

There are colorful tales of rich deposits of minerals, cowboy’s, Indian’s, and outlaws. And, more legends of UFO’s and aliens from other worlds than you shake a stick at. And it is possible that some of these stories might even be true.

Some claimed this never happened, but the rumors were out there. Somebody told somebody, and a few years later somebody told somebody else, and then the treasure hunt began - for the worst ever video game ever. This particular urban legend, which is supposed to have happened in the early 1980s, was finally proven true.

In 2014, the exhumation began in that landfill in Alamogordo, and a portion of those lost E.T. game cartridges were found. Finally – at the bottom of the hole, they hit pay dirt. Somewhere in the neighborhood of 1300 games were recovered. Around 900 or so were the coveted E.T.

A horrible video game, becomes rare because everyone throws it away. 30 years later, it's a rare classic cult favorite for the retro crowd.

https://bestlifeonline.com/true-urban-legends/ #29
https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/video-games/those-old-e-t-atari-games-dug-desert-sold-108-n418971
https://money.cnn.com/2015/09/01/technology/atari-et/index.html
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/jan/30/a-golden-shining-moment-the-true-story-behind-et-the-worst-video-game-ever