I recently hauled my old Nintendo NES game system out of storage. At first I looked at it doubtfully. Will this even work with my flatscreen TV? After a surprisingly easy hook-up (hey, it's been a long time and I forgot how simple this set-up was), I was astounded to see that the hardware and the games still worked. Then again, being the fastidious cat that I am, I had packed away the console and accessories in plastic bags in boxes. And the games were all in their protective cases, also tucked away in a dry, cool space. A long shelf life.
The extra thrill was in playing Galaga on a big widescreen monitor. And I couldn't believe my muscle memory... I was acing the game right from the get-go. I hadn't even touched my NES in years, probably not since the mid-to-late 90's. As I skilfully maneuvered my starfighter and hammered away at the laser fire button, picking off alien craft as they flew into formation, I was reminded of how this game was so addictive. I wailed away at Galaga for nearly a half-hour, then I realized I was sweating buckets and getting some aches and pains from the weird contortions that I assumed while responding to alien attack. It's tough being a defender of the human race!
Joust - knights doing battle while riding ostriches and buzzards.
Sounds plausible, right? Now go grab those eggs!
Then I packed everything back up again and decided to sell it all. I simply didn't want or need this "hobby", or more accurately - time-waster, in my life again. I now have far better things to do with my time, like movies, reading, writing, building scale models... and those are just the sedentary activities I like. I sold the whole kit and kaboodle in no time at all. Hey, it's a few bucks I didn't have before, just in time for Christmas shopping.
After messing about with a couple of those old games, I got to thinking about my formative years in videogaming. Back in the late 70's, I hung around with a few friends who liked to play pinball at the pool hall downtown. I tried pinball but never enjoyed it much, whether I was good at it or not. Probably not so good. But in 1978, there was an invasion: bit by bit, waves of videogames began to flood the amusement arcades. Space Invaders was the first, and though I was decent at the game, I found it a bit dull. The following year brought us Galaxian, which became one of my favourites. Its variant, Galaga, was so similar that I could play either game with a high level of mastery. What a feeling to earn a "double-barreled" starfighter!
Then along came Pac-Man, which would quickly become a huge part of popular culture. I never cared much about that game, but did spend hours and mucho deniro on other new games as they hit the arcades. I experienced these games in their infancy, watching as they populated the world and became a phenomena. I was of that first generation to witness this revolution of sorts, raised on videogames.
The emphasis on simple and fun gameplay is the reason why there is a continued demand for these early games. Though the graphics and motion were basic (even downright primitive compared to today's high realism), the enjoyment level was high. Contrast that with the difficult and complex games today that can be very discouraging. Sure, there's an audience for the modern technology, but then there's that other demographic (and yes, there's cross-over; some Halo players may also love Pac-Man) that craves, no - lives and breathes, vintage video games. They might even go as far back as that old home game, Pong. Played on the first Atari system, Pong hit store shelves way back in '72. My best friend Robbie got that for Christmas and he invited me over to his house to play Pong on his TV. I didn't get it. Pong did not capture my imagination. Boring. I'd rather play real ping pong. So I did.
Just like shooting womp rats, eh kid?
The 1980's were the Golden Age of Video Games. The innovation in developing more and more advanced, imaginative, and profitable games was incredible. There were games based on popular movies, the earliest being Star Wars and Tron. They were both challenging, but pretty fun. Even though I was a big Star Wars fan, I found the level of difficulty off-putting, so I didn't spend much time in the X-wing cockpit. The Force just wasn't with me. Same with Tron.
In my little hometown billiards and amusement hall, the pinball machines were receding to a far corner while the bright screen colours and electronic din of videogames dominated the family-friendly front end of the establishment. I spent hours and hours in Top Hat Entertainment... that was the name of the joint.
I loved a variety of games, though I leaned toward the sci-fi/fantasy-themed ones. My favourites were Joust, Galaga/Galaxian, Frenzy/Berzerk, Defender, and Xevious. It was on these games that I achieved a very high level of proficiency. First off, I pumped a lot of money into the machines, floundering around, but making some progress. Then I figured out that I should just watch the really good players to get tips and strategy ideas. I began to learn the patterns and quirks of my favourite games. That never took away from the fun of it, though. I could eventually play all day long on one quarter if I pulled a stool over to Frenzy and made myself comfortable (with a friend to bring me a Coke once in a while). Time well spent! I would often, after hours of play and realizing it was time to head home for dinner, give my game over to some poor kid in need of a fix.
I became so good on those particular games that I ruled the roost on the high scores listing, often for weeks or months. And if anybody dared rob me of top spot, I'd just as quickly topple them and once again assume the throne. It was tough, but I managed to achieve high score on Joust, the ostrich vs. buzzard battle game. More easily, I could fly through the progressively difficult levels in Frenzy and Galaga. Berzerk was the forerunner to Frenzy, and though both featured extremely simple graphics, the action could get pretty intense with killer robots appearing out of walls as your stick figure character dashes through mazes, avoiding their weapon fire. I also became pretty good at Defender and Xevious, though they were harder to master.
It may not look like much, but Gravitar
demanded concentration and nimble fingers
Asteroids, Robotron, Centipede, and Gravitar were cool games, too, though I never advanced very far in them. Asteroids and Gravitar were simple vector graphics games, but were in a league of their own. Asteroids was crazily intense... your little spaceship must survive in an asteroid field by evading and blasting flying rocks of all sizes. And to make matters worse, every time you shot at an asteroid, it would break into many smaller pieces, which would disperse in all directions. All the while, the speed of the rock storm increased. Yes, I can almost feel the sweat beading on my forehead as I think about it.
Gravitar was an even more sophisticated game, demanding high concentration and dexterity. You'd explore a solar system, visiting each planet, even entering passageways into the core of the world, all the while maneuvering your little space craft around obstacles and weapons fire. As you near each planet and enter it, the picture zooms in for a more detailed view. The idea is to keep your ship moving safely against the constant pull of the planet's gravity, avoid enemy fire, and blast bunkers to ultimately cause the planet's destruction.
Robotron, in contrast with Gravitar's slow, quiet tone, is a freaking bloodbath of circuitry gone mad. Your character starts each level in the centre of the screen. Then all hell breaks loose. Dozens of killer droids come out of the walls from all directions, converging on you, all the time blasting and trying to collide with you. The sheer sound volume of this game is enough to put your senses on high alert... the adrenaline runs high, and the body is in a totally reactive state, driving you to shoot everything that moves. The speed of movement and bright colours, along with the loud sound effects, leave you agitated and unable to sleep after a few games. Believe me, I know. Oh, and if you suffer from seizures, best avoid this one.
Whenever I visited the teeming metropolis of Toronto back in the early 80's, I was stunned and totally jazzed to see, and enter, the many video-dedicated arcades. But by the time I actually moved to the big city, my interest in spending time and money on such things had waned. Ah, well, I had my day in the sun. Well, in the darkened arcade, actually.
