ɡˈæʔn̩z ˈɪntɹɛst ɪnðə mˈuːvɪŋ ˈɪmɪdʒ ɚɹˈɪdʒᵻnˌeɪɾᵻd ɪnðə mˈɪd nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd ˈeɪɾi z, wˌaɪl ɪn dʒˈuːnjɚ hˈaɪ skˈuːl, wˌɛn hiː bɪɡˈæn ɹˈaɪɾɪŋ vˈɪdɪoʊ ɡˈeɪm sˈɔftwɛɹ wɪððə tˌiːˌɑːɹɹˈɛs ˈeɪɾi ˈɑːpɚɹˌeɪɾɪŋ sˈɪstəm.
Gatten's interest in the moving image originated in the mid-1980s, while in junior high school, when he began writing video game software with the TRS-80 operating system.