One thing you learned after joining atariage

[tep392]

I learned about Atati. It was an enlightening experience.

I've learned that a single post from an unkown person can generate over 600 responses and 1300 profile views.

[+FujiSkunk]

I learned I wasn't alone in my "from my cold dead hands" loyalty to Atari through the dark, dreary '90s.

 

I learned some people have an even more rabid obsession with Atari than I ever did, or ever could. I decided that's quite all right, both for them and for me (and my wallet).

 

I learned of beautiful, wondrous devices with names like "Cuttle Cart", "Krokodile Cart", "Harmony" and "Everdrive". I learned of miracle-working deities with names like "Davie", "Jentzsch", "Spice", "Nukey", "CPUWIZ" and "PacManPlus". And one "Albert" to rule them all!

 

I learned of the annual expo hosted by the Houston Area Arcade Group. Several years afterward I even volunteered some of my own machines to be part of the festivities.

 

I learned about the Atari 2600. I mean, really learned about it. How it was built, what each chip does, why some graphics flicker when others don't, why music is a particular challenge, why more than four kilobytes in a cartridge is a really big deal, and how decades later people are still discovering new capabilities in that old machine.

 

This year starts my second decade on the forum, and I still love it just as much as when I first discovered AtariAge.

[CatPix]

I discovered that the Atari 2600 had a huge following cult in NA, where in Europe it was considered as a kid toy mostly and it poorly considered even today.

And I found this huge following to have solid ground

[IntellivisionDude]

I have learned way way too many things to remember. But of course the main thing i learned was there an actual Intellivision community and i was not alone. I literally joined 11 days before the Intellivision sub section was added. Talk about perfect timing.

 

I have learned a ton of non Intellivision stuff as well. I'm not as biased and some people think i am. lol

[Omega-TI]

The talent here on Atari Age is just amazing, that's one of the major things I've learned. Guys here know their favorite systems inside & out, upside down & backwards too. I've seen people make their classic hardware do things people thought was impossible. If only we had this talent 'back in the day'.

 

It gives me a warm fuzzy feeling to see these old boxes still being used, and even improved. Who would ever have though that in this 'throw away society', that our 'machines with character' would still be in use decades later. I attribute a lot of this to the existence of Atari Age itself, as it's brought so many people under one roof that the dialog and conversation helps spur continued development.

[bkrownd]

I never knew so many people had working Vectrex, or how awesome it really was.

 

I learned about the expanded range of Flashbacks.

[Keatah]

How to focus and guide my collection and its direction. Reading about others' successes and failures in many aspects of classic gaming and computing has saved me time and money and frustration. While observing and doing this in any hobby and profession is beneficial, it doesn't get better than AA.

[Gentlegamer]

I learned about the mystery of Air Raid, and the thrilling uncovering of its authenticity.

 

I think before the CIB was found we didn't even know if its name was really Air Raid.

[Bixler]

I have learned about a wealth of absolutely fantastic homebrews that are available for the Atari 2600. I mean, seriously -- I was interested in getting one, googled a question I had, and BAM! Found AtariAge. I had no idea there was such a large number of retro game enthusiasts that focused on this era of gaming. It's a sheer joy to be a part of these boards. I feel like I learn something new about the 2600 each time I come here, be it about a homebrew, game, or the hardware.

 

I also found out about the existence of the ColecoVision, which has provided many hours of entertainment thanks to Yurkie's fantastic composite mod. Another great band of enthusiasts here.