What did/do you call your games?

[Merrick Bill]

You mean you guys didn't kill him for buying his stuff at another store??

 

It was always infuriating. He'd come in almost every day and ask for stuff that hadn't been released yet, and then when it was finally released he bought it somewhere else to save two or three bucks. We wanted to kill him, but you have to be polite in retail. My brother (who also worked in the store) and I still make fun of this kid (who's probably 40 by now). We still laugh about how stupid he was. "Got any new Tari tapes?"

 

Bill

[classicgamingguy]

 

I know the retail "game" well myself, but fortunately, I'm no longer directly involved with the public. I'm an office manager, and have to answer phones, so the polite game is well played (and has to be as everyone in retail knows). At least I know what I'm after, and the proper name for it.

 

Most of my shopping these days is through online stores or through here, saving time in the long run and avoiding embarrasment (except the occassional mis-spelling!!).

 

Steve

[Kittenmommy]

Thing is; we knew instinctively this Atari 2600 (or Intellivision) was not a tape player, I and my friends seemed very interested in how this Atari thing works to play games for us and took apart at least two 2600s and many cartridges to try and figure it out - learning things like the difference between RAM & ROM IC chips at an early age. Playing Atari was the MAIN part of my youth, as well as my friends. Everything revolved around it. We played it as often as we could, after school, all weekend, before and after going to the movies, as soon as we wake up on Saturday, all night, before and after going outside, etc. So we were informed about what it was that we were playing.

 

When I was a kid, 2600s and cartridges were far too valuable to be taken apart. They were expensive, and treated with enormous care that bordered on reverence even by kids who were usually quite careless with their other toys. Dismantling a system or a game... wow. I never even heard of a kid doing that! :!:

 

You guys must've been incredibly brave!

[Kittenmommy]

You mean you guys didn't kill him for buying his stuff at another store??

 

It was always infuriating. He'd come in almost every day and ask for stuff that hadn't been released yet, and then when it was finally released he bought it somewhere else to save two or three bucks. We wanted to kill him, but you have to be polite in retail. My brother (who also worked in the store) and I still make fun of this kid (who's probably 40 by now). We still laugh about how stupid he was. "Got any new Tari tapes?"

 

You really need to post that story here; I'm sure they'd love it!

[Recycled]

oh yes...I forgot...I used to call one of my games "Pooksie" as well.

[AtariChild840]

I remember people calling them tapes. Usually older Family members that didn't really know much about video games.

 

at tag sales and flea markets, i've seen people labeling atari carts as tapes countless times -- usually "ATARI TAPES - 2$ each or 3 for 5$"

...most likely because they look like 8-track tapes, which you can often find sitting right next to them at the same tag sales.

[iwan-iwanowitsch-goratschin]

Here in Germany we call them Module or Kassetten!

[Asaki]

I have an Atari tape. Mom bought it by accident, not realizing it wasn't for the 2600. It's for 8-bits, I believe.

[Eduardo]

In Mexico I call them "CARTUCHO", that's spanish for Cartdridge.

Others call them just "JUEGOS" that simply means Games.

 

Back in the 80s it was common that my friends told me things like:

"Prestame un Juego del Atari" = Lend me one Atari Game

"Cuantos Cartuchos de Atari tienes?" = How many Atari carts do you own?

 

that's how we called them.

[Video]

when I worked at Toys R Us, I was shocked by the number of people who wanted to buy "intendo tapes".

When I worked at a used CD store, folks used to come in often asking for "the latest Mariah Carey" tape (or whatever.) When I'd say, "we only sell CDs," they always looked at me like I was a fool and said something like, "yeah, that's what I want," as if somehow it was my fault they didn't know what words mean. (Of course, my fave dumb customer question of all time came from a young lady who asked me how the CDs were arranged -- "Alphabetically by artist," I told her. "Oh," she said with a thoughtful look on her face, "so is Phil Collins under P or F?")

 

Only Tapes? I know a lot of people who still ask for "records" though at least that could be short for recording, though I imagine they mean the vinal type... Though they at least look similar.

 

As for Atari tapes. Well, they are almost exactly the same demensions as 8 tracks...other than the obvious tape on the end of an 8track, they really do look pretty much the same (especially tos omeon who doesn't know any better) In fact, they are so close to the same size I acutally have quiet a few 8 track holders for keeping my games in.

 

BTW, me and my friends always called them games, though ALL games were Atari (even Intv, coleco, odyssey, and whatever else) I think everybody I knew used the word Atari to mean game, and that didn't change till Nintendo dethroaned their asses.

[+Random Terrain]

As for Atari tapes. Well, they are almost exactly the same dimensions as 8 tracks...other than the obvious tape on the end of an 8track, they really do look pretty much the same (especially tos omeon who doesn't know any better) In fact, they are so close to the same size I actually have quite a few 8 track holders for keeping my games in.

Although the difference isn't huge, somehow the approximate size of 5.25 x 4 x 0.8 inches for an 8-track tape seems much larger than the approximate size of 3.8 x 3 x 0.8 inches for an Atari cartridge.

[Mirage]

It always annoyed me when adults called them "tapes". What's funny to think about is that those adults back then were probably about the age I am now, which makes me wonder what funny things I say around young people today.

[+Random Terrain]

It always annoyed me when adults called them "tapes". What's funny to think about is that those adults back then were probably about the age I am now, which makes me wonder what funny things I say around young people today.

Yeah, kids today take the pot and listen to the Rap.

[Captain Beard]

Only Tapes? I know a lot of people who still ask for "records" though at least that could be short for recording, though I imagine they mean the vinal type... Though they at least look similar.

Yeah, it happened, but much less regularly.

My experience was that most of the vinyl-age folks referred to their records as "albums" (itself a holdover term from a previous format, in this case 78s) which is also perfectly acceptable as a term for CDs, at least IMO, as "album" really means "collection of songs."

 

But carts are definitely not tapes. If memory serves, when I was growing up, they were just "games."

There were "Intellivision games", "Atari games", "Odyssey games", "computer games" and "arcade games."

Collectively, they were all "video games."

Except for Pong.

Pong was always called simply Pong.

[SRGilbert]

Seems like we always called them carts, but I do remember the older folks calling them tapes.

 

These were probably the same people that called Lego bricks "Legoes."

[SRGilbert]

It always annoyed me when adults called them "tapes". What's funny to think about is that those adults back then were probably about the age I am now, which makes me wonder what funny things I say around young people today.

I wouldn't worry about it, those kids take everything for granted anyway.

[doyman]

cartridges

 

But I am guilty of saying Legos

[Elw00d]

That video was scary. Unfortunately there were a few questions that I would have missed. Sri Lanka..........I wouldn't be able to pin it, but I do take heart that it looks like they polled MANY people (multiple locations) and just added the ones that had funny answers.

 

El

[kroogur]

The comparo to 8 tracks got me to thinking. And i just happen to have one of each sitting around!

 

Edited June 11, 2008 by kroogur

[Kittenmommy]

It always annoyed me when adults called them "tapes". What's funny to think about is that those adults back then were probably about the age I am now, which makes me wonder what funny things I say around young people today.

Yeah, kids today take the pot and listen to the Rap.

 

You have that "def" talk mastered! I bet you're really "phat"!

 

cartridges

 

But I am guilty of saying Legos

 

ZOMG me too!

Edited June 11, 2008 by Kittenmommy

[A.J. Franzman]

Holy F-ing illiterate nose pickers Batman! How do they put on their clothing in the morning without strangling themselves?

 

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=fJuNgBkloFE

Did anyone else notice that every person who placed a flag on country "X" on the map, placed it on Australia? (Australia was never the country asked for, BTW. But, based on the interviewer's accent I believe it may be the homeland of the makers of the video clip, which might give reason for them to be biased toward showing only people placing the flag there.)

Edited June 11, 2008 by A.J. Franzman

[shadow460]

We did call some of our Atari games tapes, because that's what they are.

[ovalbugmann]

We did call some of our Atari games tapes, because that's what they are.

 

[Nukey Shay]

Did anyone else notice that every person who placed a flag on country "X" on the map, placed it on Australia? (Australia was never the country asked for, BTW. But, based on the interviewer's accent I believe it may be the homeland of the makers of the video clip, which might give reason for them to be biased toward showing only people placing the flag there.)

No, it's because it clearly has "IRAN" typed on it (the only one that has any caption, from what I see)...providing a false "hint" to which one to pick. There's a fair share of people in any country that do not know world Geography (granted, it's probably pretty high in the USA).

[ZylonBane]

Y'know, the Bally Astrocade cartridges were in fact shaped almost exactly like cassette tapes.

 

Let's see if I can find a more annoying color than Super Annoying Purple!