Just Reminiscing...

[Cassidy Nolen]

For those of you that get all goo eyed remebering the good ole days...

 

Yesterday I brought home my childhood 2600. It was somewhat ceremonial, the cleaning and placement among the ranks of my collection. I have spent the last year buying CX2601-2699 boxed and finally was ready to place it in its rightful place. I can remember as a kid thinking how many games I had for the system. Even then, I had some duplicates. Wierd.

 

Its been some 19 years since the Christmas I woke up and saw that by the tree. I can remember the first game of Freeway I played that morning and how much I loved it.

 

I somehow gathered a total of 39 games over the years until one day I unhooked it, packed it away and then unearthed it yesterday. I wonder if I knew the last time I played it that it would "be" the last?

 

Its many years, 52 systems, 700 games and a full arcade in the house later, and this, my childhood toy, gives me that much joy. I would not trade that 4 switch for anything in this world.

 

And to top the day off, I found 4 boxed games at the thrift store (Indy 500, Breakout, Pong Sports and 5200 Blueprint). What a day....

 

God I am nuts.

 

Cassidy

[videotwit]

quote:

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Originally posted by Cassidy:

God I am nuts.

---

 

But you are in good company.

 

(And congrats on the thrift find!)

[ubersaurus]

My childhood 2600 met with some unfortunate incidents, as when I was a child I busted the left controller port, so we boxed it up and got a 7800. This year, attempts to repair that damage ended with us burning out one of the coils, and since my friend hasn't yet learned how to fix that damage, it's remaining comatose until further notice.

[Joel D. Park]

My childhood Atari (A 4 switch woodgrain) was placed in the bottom of a Closet when replaced by a Commodore 64. Within a few years the system was sold by my mother at a Yard sale. I believe it went for 30 dollars, it had around 35 games with it.

 

The rarest game I can recall was Sega: Star Trek SOS.. I have since then, re-aquired every atari game I ever had.

[videotwit]

I guess I should have posted this before...

 

My childhood Atari was sold by my Mother at a garage sale when I was away at college. Unfortunately I had no idea she was going to do this, or I would have stopped it.

 

That started my vendetta. Now, like Joel, I too have replaced all my childhood games (plus about 570 more "new" titles I didn't have back then.) The rarest I had was probably Bermuda Triangle.

 

It is still one of my favorite games. Ahhh, the memories...

[ATARIPITBULL]

You keep talking like that Cassidy, and your going to make me start crying for my first Atari 2600 4 switch system which my mohter threw away because she thought I was no longer playing it, including my first four games (Pitfall, Raiders of the lost Ark,Combat,& Swordquest Earthworld).

[Atarinvader]

I was forced to sell what my mother described as a 'peice of out dated junk' at a 'car boot'.

 

I couldnt sell the thing until the last minute when I reduced it to what is about $7. I was so angry it had to go.

 

Now I spend every weekend at car boots looking for them. Strange realy...

[Cassidy Nolen]

The funny thing is, for some reason, my mother kept all my Atari stuff. It is strange considering what else she did sell. I guess I am lucky.

 

I know what you mean about spending the weekends trying to find more. Why can't we just like what the stores are selling now?

 

Cassidy

[+-^CrossBow^-]

I suppose I was more lucky than the rest here. My first VCS was a 4 switch that I got at Christmas back in 80'. That was my only game console in my house until my B-day 88' when I had finally convinced my parents that we had to have a 7800. At that time the VCS 4 switch after having 20+ controllers used with it, 3 power supplies, 2 rf switchboxes, about an hours worth of other miscellaneous work that I had done to it to keep it working, and an untold number of hours of joy, was finally packed up and sent to a closet for final retirement. Luckily about a month later one of my aunt's had asked about what video games I played as she was wanting to get something for my young cousins to play with. They didn't have a video game system yet and couldn't afford an NES or SMS or anything else that was most currently available that year. So my 4 switch was given to another home. I have no idea what happened to it and that same aunt doesn't recall what they did with it either.

 

Point is that my 1st 2600 wasn't tossed out or forgotten. It was maintained and loved by at least two families during its lifespan. Someday I am sure she will find that trusty 4 switch and most likely hand it back to me.

 

Something else to as I read about some of you having your mothers toss out your old VCS units. My mother never tossed out my 7800 when I retired it 1st back in 90' (Blame IBM PCs). Instead it was boxed with everthing with it. Then placed out in the garage where it remained for almost 10 years until I unearthed it again and brought it back to its new home back with me. I am grateful that my mother would have never thrown out anything like that. Instead she tends to hold onto everything I once owned as a child. To her, with me having my own family now and my own responsibilities in life, my old toys and video game stuff are her happy memories. In fact I am willing to bet that ever since I took the 7800 and all the games back, that she probably has missed me more than ever.

 

Not to fear mom, I have a special Christmas planned for you this year...

[Joel D. Park]

One thing, I live in a very small town. There is a good chance that I have purchased my original system back allready and didn't actually know it. Since the 4 switch woodgrain is pretty common it would be hard to tell. I've never found a system around here with exactly the same games as I had as a kid, but I've came very close.

[AtariDude]

My childhood 2600 was given to a new family that had moved into the United States and they had 2 small kids. The family did not have a lot of money since they had just moved into the country about a month before so I gave my 2600 with all the games that I had. It had basically sat in my closet after I got my Atari 800XL computer.

 

I have no idea what happened to it after that since we lost touch with the family. Hopefully the 2 kids enjoyed the system and the games as much as I did.

 

Now I have an Atari 7800 with about 100 plus games (and growing) so I get to relive part of my youth

[Bill Lange]

I still have my original Lone Ranger dolls and Matchbox cars, but alas, we sold all our 2600 stuff when I got my first Atari computer. I had an Atari 400 and Atari 800XL. I moved from the Atari to an Apple IIc which I used in my senior in HS and then while I was in the Army. Once I return from the Army, I sold all my remaining Atari and Apple hardware to a local school. I gave all my software to my brother. He has since given me all the software back along with all the hardware he had.

 

WRL