I'm so jealous of everyone on here that grew up with classic games

[Pioneer4x4]

The Subaru SVX, the New Yorker, and the Tbird. 3 cars that make me vomit.

 

The 300c is an obvious throwback design to the 30s and brass car era with the large grill.

I like all of those! As for your avatar, I hated the Grenadas back then, but like them now. The 200 had a whopping 78HP. My neighbor's bumper fell off (actually the car fell off of it when it was jacked up!)

[Scrabbler15]

Wow, I just read this thread for the first time. I feel compelled to share some of my memories of the golden age of Atari/Arcades/Coin-ops.

 

Being 49, I almost feel like a grandfather here.

 

The first video game I ever played was a coin-op Pong. It was just out in the middle of the mall walkway.

 

In the early days of Atari, my uncle bought a game (I think it was Snafu) at a department store. He didn't like the game, so he got his receipt and went back to the store. He said he wanted to exchange it for something else, because he didn't like the game. (It's still hilarious to think about, now). "Yeah, I wanna return this game." "What's wrong with it?" "It's just not much fun." "So you want to exchange it." "Yeah, 'cause it's not much fun." The crazy part is, the store actually did exchange it. That's something that will never happen again.

 

The arcade at college was a room about the size of a small McDonald's. There were about a dozen pinball machines along one wall. Arcade machines pretty much lined the other walls. Asteroids, Phoenix, Battlezone, Super Pacman, Tempest, Galaxian, Galaga, and on and on. It's a wonder I ever graduated.

 

In Michigan, the arcade was an Aladdin's Castle. It was in a mall about a mile from home. They always had these discounts on token purchases. A dollar would get you four tokens, but ten dollars would get you like sixty. I think I still have the token pouch here somewhere.

 

When I moved back to PA, I worked part-time at an arcade called Spaceport. So, I remember playing the sit-down After Burner, and wiping it down after closing time. Spaceport used quarters, not tokens. We had these red quarters that were used to start a game whenever someone would complain about a machine that "ate their quarter".

 

A common practice, back then, was one player plunking their quarter down on the game glass, which meant "I'm playing this game next." Kind of rude, to think about it now, but it was just normal then. Sometimes all the machines were being played, and cutting in was the only way to get to play anything.

 

I remember playing pinball and having four or five people just standing and watching. If I was having a great game (especially in multi-ball play), there would be gasping and whispering about "Did you see that?". That was one of the best parts of the arcades back in their hey-day. There were lots of people and lots of competition between players who were total strangers, except that they both wanted the high score on the same machine.

 

In '77, I was 15/16, so I was privileged to grow up at exactly the right time to see all of this gaming history first-hand. It's been a marvelous ride.

[VectorGamer]

Wow, I just read this thread for the first time. I feel compelled to share some of my memories of the golden age of Atari/Arcades/Coin-ops.

 

Being 49, I almost feel like a grandfather here.

 

The first video game I ever played was a coin-op Pong. It was just out in the middle of the mall walkway.

 

 

Was I the only kid that played Pong solitaire - one hand on each spinner? I was 5 and just wanted to play...

 

Anyway, thanks for sharing!

[Pioneer4x4]

Wow, I just read this thread for the first time. I feel compelled to share some of my memories of the golden age of Atari/Arcades/Coin-ops.

 

Being 49, I almost feel like a grandfather here.

 

The first video game I ever played was a coin-op Pong. It was just out in the middle of the mall walkway.

 

 

Was I the only kid that played Pong solitaire - one hand on each spinner? I was 5 and just wanted to play...

 

Anyway, thanks for sharing!

The first electronic game I remember was one at the Pittsburgh Airport. You had to make a rocket go to the top through asteroid field.

[VectorGamer]

 

Was I the only kid that played Pong solitaire - one hand on each spinner? I was 5 and just wanted to play...

 

Anyway, thanks for sharing!

The first electronic game I remember was one at the Pittsburgh Airport. You had to make a rocket go to the top through asteroid field.

 

Sounds like Asteroid:

http://www.arcade-museum.com/game_detail.php?game_id=6938

 

There's a guy local to me that is selling one on eBay. I'm tempted to buy it since I am a sucker for obscure 70s arcade cabinets.

[SlowCoder]

I am also 36. For a few short years I had a Sears 2600. It disappeared when we moved and I remind my parents of that mistake often. Their response ... 'I don't remember ever buying you one'. Funny, I remember them playing with me every now and then.

 

That was the only console I owned as a kid. I had friends with NES and C64 systems, and for a short time I used an Adam before we got our new IBM XT computer. The ADAM went to storage until about a year ago, but that was given back to me recently. Unfortunately it lived in an attic for so many years, I doubt it will ever fire back up.

 

Any way, I agree with others of my gehildtion who hold nostalgic value in playing on original equipment. Holding the original 2600 joystick in your hands vs. pressing keys on an emulator keyboard ... no comparison.

[Kiwi]

I missed out on the Colecovision when I was a kid. I picked it up couple years ago and started collecting for it. It's never too late to play old games system and their games. They were as fun as they were in the 1980's. That's what matters . You can't get some of those games on newer system.

[Pioneer4x4]

Sounds like Asteroid:

http://www.arcade-museum.com/game_detail.php?game_id=6938

 

There's a guy local to me that is selling one on eBay. I'm tempted to buy it since I am a sucker for obscure 70s arcade cabinets.

That has to be it! WOW, I must have been 11 or so when I saw it! Way cool. Thanks!

[schuwalker]

Wow, I just read this thread for the first time. I feel compelled to share some of my memories of the golden age of Atari/Arcades/Coin-ops.

 

Being 49, I almost feel like a grandfather here.

 

The first video game I ever played was a coin-op Pong. It was just out in the middle of the mall walkway.

 

In the early days of Atari, my uncle bought a game (I think it was Snafu) at a department store. He didn't like the game, so he got his receipt and went back to the store. He said he wanted to exchange it for something else, because he didn't like the game. (It's still hilarious to think about, now). "Yeah, I wanna return this game." "What's wrong with it?" "It's just not much fun." "So you want to exchange it." "Yeah, 'cause it's not much fun." The crazy part is, the store actually did exchange it. That's something that will never happen again.

 

The arcade at college was a room about the size of a small McDonald's. There were about a dozen pinball machines along one wall. Arcade machines pretty much lined the other walls. Asteroids, Phoenix, Battlezone, Super Pacman, Tempest, Galaxian, Galaga, and on and on. It's a wonder I ever graduated.

 

In Michigan, the arcade was an Aladdin's Castle. It was in a mall about a mile from home. They always had these discounts on token purchases. A dollar would get you four tokens, but ten dollars would get you like sixty. I think I still have the token pouch here somewhere.

 

When I moved back to PA, I worked part-time at an arcade called Spaceport. So, I remember playing the sit-down After Burner, and wiping it down after closing time. Spaceport used quarters, not tokens. We had these red quarters that were used to start a game whenever someone would complain about a machine that "ate their quarter".

 

A common practice, back then, was one player plunking their quarter down on the game glass, which meant "I'm playing this game next." Kind of rude, to think about it now, but it was just normal then. Sometimes all the machines were being played, and cutting in was the only way to get to play anything.

 

I remember playing pinball and having four or five people just standing and watching. If I was having a great game (especially in multi-ball play), there would be gasping and whispering about "Did you see that?". That was one of the best parts of the arcades back in their hey-day. There were lots of people and lots of competition between players who were total strangers, except that they both wanted the high score on the same machine.

 

In '77, I was 15/16, so I was privileged to grow up at exactly the right time to see all of this gaming history first-hand. It's been a marvelous ride.

 

 

 

Great story! I wish I was a little bit older to remember the B&w games more; I did miss out on that part! I do remember going to some bowling alley(had to be late 70's) and playing some Em rifle games-now those were cool!

[psquare75]

 

 

A common practice, back then, was one player plunking their quarter down on the game glass, which meant "I'm playing this game next." Kind of rude, to think about it now, but it was just normal then. Sometimes all the machines were being played, and cutting in was the only way to get to play anything.

 

 

 

That's a standard practice here in MA/RI at the local bars for pool tables and arcade games.

[SlowCoder]

 

 

A common practice, back then, was one player plunking their quarter down on the game glass, which meant "I'm playing this game next." Kind of rude, to think about it now, but it was just normal then. Sometimes all the machines were being played, and cutting in was the only way to get to play anything.

 

 

 

That's a standard practice here in MA/RI at the local bars for pool tables and arcade games.

Yeah, that was, and still appears to be, standard practice. I never considered it rude, just the cost of playing the good games.

 

As many quarters as I dropped into those machines, I'm sure I could have bought any new arcade machine of my choice.

 

It's a pity. In my area arcades are a thing of the past. There is only one that I'm aware of in one of our local theaters. But it only has about 10 machines, and none of the classics. AND they charge at least 75c to play. I rarely see more than 1 or 2 players in there, and they are usually 8-12 years old, begging coins off their parents.

[schuwalker]

 

 

A common practice, back then, was one player plunking their quarter down on the game glass, which meant "I'm playing this game next." Kind of rude, to think about it now, but it was just normal then. Sometimes all the machines were being played, and cutting in was the only way to get to play anything.

 

 

 

That's a standard practice here in MA/RI at the local bars for pool tables and arcade games.

Yeah, that was, and still appears to be, standard practice. I never considered it rude, just the cost of playing the good games.

 

As many quarters as I dropped into those machines, I'm sure I could have bought any new arcade machine of my choice.

 

It's a pity. In my area arcades are a thing of the past. There is only one that I'm aware of in one of our local theaters. But it only has about 10 machines, and none of the classics. AND they charge at least 75c to play. I rarely see more than 1 or 2 players in there, and they are usually 8-12 years old, begging coins off their parents.

 

 

I remember when Double Dragon first hit the arcades.... That marquee had quarters stretched the entire length!

[SlowCoder]

Being 49, I almost feel like a grandfather here.

Yeah. You're old, grandpa. But not much older than many of us. I play games almost daily, and to see physically older folks than myself playing gives hope to my future. My message to you, old man, is "GAME ON"!

[VectorGamer]

 

Great story! I wish I was a little bit older to remember the B&w games more; I did miss out on that part! I do remember going to some bowling alley(had to be late 70's) and playing some Em rifle games-now those were cool!

 

I was talking to another gamer one time who commented that "all the b/w games are 5h1t." This person did not begin gaming until 1983. Because of that, I find it easy to believe that people who were not playing video games in the early-to-mid 70s (like I was) just do not have an appreciation for those b/w games.

 

And the appreciation is in the same vain that I discussed in my previous post. I can remember when Sea Wolf came out (1976) and what a huge hit that was locally. Although it was a take on the EM Sea Raider, this was something different from the pong and racing games that were so prevalent at the time.

 

 

 

 

A common practice, back then, was one player plunking their quarter down on the game glass, which meant "I'm playing this game next." Kind of rude, to think about it now, but it was just normal then. Sometimes all the machines were being played, and cutting in was the only way to get to play anything.

 

 

 

That's a standard practice here in MA/RI at the local bars for pool tables and arcade games.

Yeah, that was, and still appears to be, standard practice. I never considered it rude, just the cost of playing the good games.

 

 

The practice of lining up quarters on the monitor glass, from what I can remember, started with Pac-Man. My local roller rink had a game room with about 4 pins, Pac-Man and Frogger. It was a joke trying to get on Pac-Man and the unwritten rule was that you only got one play and had to return to the end of the line.

[Cliff Friedel]

I grew up with classic games. They were great, but I spent well over $300 and only owned ten cartridges. For that same amount of money now you could probably own at least 100 cartridges. This is the best time to get into classic games.

 

If you are looking for playable consoles and carts, then I would agree with you. There are a lot of good games out there that you can obtain for next to nothing. I have to admit though, 80s carts and systems are starting to get a little tougher, and are more expensive, to find. Used to be you could walk into any thrift store and see an old gaming system lying around for literally $1. Now, you don't see them as much, and when you do, the place thinks every one is a collector's item and charges that way.

[Cliff Friedel]

A common practice, back then, was one player plunking their quarter down on the game glass, which meant "I'm playing this game next." Kind of rude, to think about it now, but it was just normal then. Sometimes all the machines were being played, and cutting in was the only way to get to play anything.

 

I remember the quarter thing. At the arcade I used to go to, it was routine to see 3 or 4 quarters lined up on the glass and waiting your turn to play. If you were playing something that was 2 player, it was winner stays, loser pays. It was especially true with fighting games, but even ones like Dragon's Lair and Galaga come to mind as ones that had lines.

 

I have to admit too, playing was a lot more communal then. It's not to say that people don't play in groups now, they do, but you actually saw the person you were playing back then and probably even knew them. It was cool to beat several people at a game and hear the murmurs of "He was lucky" or "I'm not playing until he is done". You also got a rep for being a good player and people respected it when you played. Kind of like poker people get today when they win a tourney. Also, after a while, the same people would show up at the same game and it became sort of a scheduled event to play. You may even do something afterwards and become friends. I actually met quite a few people that way.

 

In some ways, I do feel bad for kids today. The internet and technology have made game playing, and a lot of other activities, impersonal. Even with the headsets and mics, you just don't get that same type of connection you had in the past when you play a game with someone. I am sure this is nothing new. People who played board games would probably say the same thing about people who played Pac-Man =)

 

Cliff

[schuwalker]

 

Great story! I wish I was a little bit older to remember the B&w games more; I did miss out on that part! I do remember going to some bowling alley(had to be late 70's) and playing some Em rifle games-now those were cool!

 

I was talking to another gamer one time who commented that "all the b/w games are 5h1t." This person did not begin gaming until 1983. Because of that, I find it easy to believe that people who were not playing video games in the early-to-mid 70s (like I was) just do not have an appreciation for those b/w games.

 

And the appreciation is in the same vain that I discussed in my previous post. I can remember when Sea Wolf came out (1976) and what a huge hit that was locally. Although it was a take on the EM Sea Raider, this was something different from the pong and racing games that were so prevalent at the time.

 

 

 

 

A common practice, back then, was one player plunking their quarter down on the game glass, which meant "I'm playing this game next." Kind of rude, to think about it now, but it was just normal then. Sometimes all the machines were being played, and cutting in was the only way to get to play anything.

 

 

 

That's a standard practice here in MA/RI at the local bars for pool tables and arcade games.

Yeah, that was, and still appears to be, standard practice. I never considered it rude, just the cost of playing the good games.

 

 

The practice of lining up quarters on the monitor glass, from what I can remember, started with Pac-Man. My local roller rink had a game room with about 4 pins, Pac-Man and Frogger. It was a joke trying to get on Pac-Man and the unwritten rule was that you only got one play and had to return to the end of the line.

 

 

Honestly I was never a big Pac-Man fan, I thought Mouse trap and Lady Bug improved the gameplay immensely.... Which was a plus for me while the Pac and Mrs.-Man were tied up I played the lesser well know games like Phoenix, Front Line, Zoo Keeper and Looping, et al.

[VectorGamer]

 

In some ways, I do feel bad for kids today. The internet and technology have made game playing, and a lot of other activities, impersonal. Even with the headsets and mics, you just don't get that same type of connection you had in the past when you play a game with someone. I am sure this is nothing new. People who played board games would probably say the same thing about people who played Pac-Man =)

 

Cliff

 

Right on. The arcade was a location where strangers could get together and new friendships derived from a mutual interest in video games.

[carmel_andrews]

Dont be jealous of anyone that grew up in the golden age of home gaming (and computing), embrace it, join in the fun and pass it on to your friends etc....remember, once we are gone to meet our makers we will need people to carry the classic gaming and computing torch to their children as well as future generations (so they can expierence the fun that we all had and witness the TRUE history of videogaming (i.e it wasn't started by a nintendo or a sony/MS etc, it was well before these companies were ever heard of....at least so far as home gaming is concerned)

[psquare75]

Being 49, I almost feel like a grandfather here.

Yeah. You're old, grandpa. But not much older than many of us. I play games almost daily, and to see physically older folks than myself playing gives hope to my future. My message to you, old man, is "GAME ON"!

 

 

My dad is 54 and regularly plays PS3. Very into driving games. Current obsession is Burnout Paradise. HE wanted the PS3... not me (I was out of games for awhile). God the hours we spent playing Mario Kart (the real one, SNES). He loves Bowser for some reason

[SlowCoder]

My dad is 54 and regularly plays PS3. Very into driving games. Current obsession is Burnout Paradise. HE wanted the PS3... not me (I was out of games for awhile). God the hours we spent playing Mario Kart (the real one, SNES). He loves Bowser for some reason

Uh... his name wouldn't happen to be Setzer, would it? I've got a friend on PS3 network, but I've lost contact with him due to my PS3 corrupting, and no other way to be in touch. We played Burnout almost every night. I'd LOVE to get in touch with him again.

Edited September 3, 2010 by SlowCoder

[psquare75]

My dad is 54 and regularly plays PS3. Very into driving games. Current obsession is Burnout Paradise. HE wanted the PS3... not me (I was out of games for awhile). God the hours we spent playing Mario Kart (the real one, SNES). He loves Bowser for some reason

Uh... his name wouldn't happen to be Setzer, would it? I've got a friend on PS3 network, but I've lost contact with him due to my PS3 corrupting, and no other way to be in touch. We played Burnout almost every night. I'd LOVE to get in touch with him again.

 

No, sorry, his name is Alfatar.

[poker_plus]

Back to the original poster...

 

Yeah, you missed arcades, but you also missed out on going to bed each night thinking the Russians were going to nuke us. The early 80's could be pretty scary if you were an impressionable 10-13 year old. It wasn't all Pac-Man and Duran Duran.

 

Though I guess it's probably scarier now with more mass media and "panic nation".

[SlowCoder]

Back to the original poster...

 

Yeah, you missed arcades, but you also missed out on going to bed each night thinking the Russians were going to nuke us. The early 80's could be pretty scary if you were an impressionable 10-13 year old. It wasn't all Pac-Man and Duran Duran.

 

Though I guess it's probably scarier now with more mass media and "panic nation".

You kidding??? Most kids these days are so absorbed in themselves they don't even know what's going on in their own towns.

 

You also missed out on the 80s gen movies, big hair bands and the excirement of watching space shuttle Challenger fly into the air, only to have the excitement replaced with remorse as you watch the shuttle explode, raining sadness on the world. I was in elementary school, watching it on TV in the classroom when it happened. President Ronald Raegan was shot. The wall fell. These are things that happened in the 80s.

 

Wait 20 years and ask a kid growing up today to tell what they remember about their childhood. Most likely it will be their cell phone, video games (no offense) and drugs. How much of the world will they remember? Hopefully I can be proved wrong.

[VectorGamer]

 

Wait 20 years and ask a kid growing up today to tell what they remember about their childhood. Most likely it will be their cell phone, video games (no offense) and drugs. How much of the world will they remember? Hopefully I can be proved wrong.

 

9/11 depending on their age at the time