Joe Szula is an American video game programmer and designer, known for his pioneering work at Atari during the golden age of video games. His career took off in the early 1980s, when he specialized in the challenging conversion of arcade hits for the Atari 2600 console, a system with significant hardware limitations. Among his most celebrated and technically acclaimed works is the Atari 2600 version of *Ms. Pac-Man*, considered one of the best conversions ever made for that platform, along with that of *Joust*. Later, working for Atari Games and its subsidiary Tengen, he co-created the popular puzzle game *Klax* (1990), which achieved widespread success on numerous platforms. For his fundamental contributions to the video game industry and his technical skill, Joe Szula was honored with the prestigious Pioneer Award by the International Game Developers Association (IGDA), an honor that celebrates figures who have shaped the development of video games.