If you've ever wondered just how Atari 2600 games worked, this iPhone app is for you [via 1UP]:

Iconic Atari 2600 programmer David Crane designed the app as an interactive tutorial through the ups and downs of designing games for the console. Making a 2600 game was tricky business as Crane illustrates in this collection of tricks and tweaks gamers take for granted.

The app costs $1.99, but that is an insignificant amount in exchange for the wealth of information you get. You may dismiss the Atari 2600 as outdated and simplistic now, but 5 minutes of exposure to the coding trickery of an early game programmer's life should dispel that notion.