Carol Kantor papers

Collection — Box: 1

Identifier: 119.4394

Staff Only

The Carol Kantor papers are a compilation of published materials and ephemera related to Kantor’s career at Atari and the early years at Business Builders. Papers include newsletters, press kits, an annual report, fliers, brochures, sell cards, catalogs, and other publications from Atari and Business Builders. Of interest is Kantor’s 1982 book Promoting Your Game Center, directed at arcade coin-op game center owners of the 1980s.

The Carol Kantor papers are arranged into two series. The materials are housed in one archival document box.

Dates

1976 - 1983

Creator

Kantor, Carol (Person)

Language

The materials in this collection are in English.

Conditions Governing Use

This collection is open for research use by staff of The Strong and by users of its library and archives. Though the donor has not transferred intellectual property rights (including, but not limited to any copyright, trademark, and associated rights therein) to The Strong, she has given permission for The Strong to make copies in all media for museum, educational, and research purposes.

Extent

0.5 Linear Feet (1 box)

Additional Description

Abstract

The Carol Kantor papers are a compilation of published materials and ephemera related to Kantor’s career at Atari and Business Builders. The bulk of the materials are from between 1977 and 1983

Biographical Note

Carol Kantor is an American marketing executive and entrepreneur, known for developing the first games user research group in the video game industry.

After earning degrees from the University of Texas at Austin (B.B.A., Business, Computer Science, and Statistics) and the University of Colorado Boulder (M.S., Management Science and Marketing), Kantor joined arcade game company Atari, Inc. in 1973. She previously gained experience in marketing research while working for consumer products divisions at Fairchild and Clorox, but Kantor switched gears at Atari, concentrating on games user research.

Atari’s earliest method for analyzing a game’s success was keeping track of the amount of money it generated; Kantor designed a marketing research program to better measure user feedback to improve a game (and consequently, its profits). In 1977, Kantor hired several women to her research team, including Colette Weil, Mary Fujihara, and Linda Adam. Along with user research, Kantor managed trade shows and marketing materials for Atari. (She also wrote and edited Atari’s newsletter, Coin Connection.)

In 1979, Kantor left Atari. She established her own company, Business Builders, originally an agency for other game manufacturers, distributors, and operators to develop creative promotional programs for clients. In the decades since its founding, Business Builders has grown into a full-service promotion agency for all industries. Kantor and her former games research team were acknowledged in 2014 by the Games User Research Association for their contributions to the video game field. In 2018, Kantor was profiled in Meagan Marie’s book, Women in Gaming: 100 Professionals of Play.

System of Arrangement

Series I: Atari, 1976-1980 Series II: Business Builders, 1979-1983 and n.d.

Custodial History

The Carol Kantor papers were donated to The Strong in September 2019 as a gift from Carol Kantor. The papers were accessioned by The Strong under Object ID 119.4394 and were received from Kantor in one box, along with two arcade game marquees.