Father Time

[ClassicBoy]

Is anyone else starting to feel old?

 

I was about 10 or 11 years old when Space Invaders (for me, the first arcade game that really turned occasional videogame play into a borderline obsession) started showing up around town. I was also a young teenager when the videogame boom hit and every kid had an Atari, myself included. I’ve followed and played videogames ever since. I’ve always owned at least one current console and have always considered spending time playing in arcades a worthwhile and fun past time. In many ways, I consider those around my age to be the true videogame generation. Not knocking anyone who has come along later, it’s just that we were the ones that were around the perfect age when videogames were born. We were there and old enough to appreciate videogames when they first “hit.” Although, it could be said that there are many “videogame generations” (Nintendo generation, Atari generation, etc.). Now, I'm pushing 40 and amazed at how fast time flies. Was 1980 really 25 years ago?! It boggles the mind.

 

My point in all this rambling is this: Lately, I’ve noticed that my reflexes just aren’t what they used to be. It’s funny, but my kids can beat me more often than I’d like on games that require fast timing and reflexes. All those hours of playtime experience don’t seem to help much. It’s not a huge change, but I think I’m beginning to feel my age beginning to creep in and affect my ability to play.

 

Is anyone else beginning to feel the effects of “father time?” I’d love to know and also hear any other comments on what’s it’s like to be “one of the originals.”

[davepesc]

Pretty soon you'll be that guy in the back of the arcade talking about how easy players have it now-a-days with their "3-D" and their "motion detectors."

 

"Why when I was your age, you couldn't win games, it was impossible. The invaders kept commin'. But did that stop us, NO! We played every day, sometimes with newspapers on our feet."

[ClassicBoy]

Pretty soon you'll be that guy in the back of the arcade talking about how easy players have it now-a-days with their "3-D" and their "motion detectors."

 

"Why when I was your age, you couldn't win games, it was impossible. The invaders kept commin'. But did that stop us, NO! We played every day, sometimes with newspapers on our feet."

938260[/snapback]

 

 

"...and we had to make our own quarters... and we had to hum our own theme music... "

 

[ninjarabbit]

When I was yer age son we only had one button if we were lucky and we liked it and we had to walk 30 miles to the arcade, uphill both ways and in 5 feet of snow.

[maibock]

My reflexes are still pretty good, as with my eye-hand- coordination. Where my kids really kick my ass, is learning which button does what, when and how on the modern consoles.

 

What impressed me, was how adept they are to the Xbox controller.

 

2 weeks ago they had some friends over playing 4 player Halo2 and needed a forth. I was the sacrificial lamb of sort and went ahead. We start playing and I had forget to switch to my name and was still using the previous kid's settings. Of course it was inverse settings, meaning the controls were total opposite of normal. If i pushed up, normally the view would look up, but now when I pushed up the view went down. I was at a loss running around looking straight up in the sky firing grenades everywhere.

 

My kid sees how I was flailing around says" switch controllers" and gave me his which was set normal. Damned if he didn't pick up the inverse controller and played flawlessly. That my friends, is some coordination. Try it some time, it's not easy..

 

I still rule at home on the older consoles - middle ground is the N64

[+else]

I felt old last week when I saw the Nintendo 64 thread going on in this "classic gaming" forum....

[n8littlefield]

I have felt very old lately - and I'm only 28! I just had my son's first birthday, find that I can't eat most tomato sauces due to heartburn, and heard a remake of Extreme's More than Words on the radio. My first system was my Odyssey, so while "retro" gaming means Mario/Sonic/Zelda, to me it's Pick Axe Pete and Monkeyshines. It's not a good feeling to be older than old school

[Recycled]

I remember first encountering Space Invaders. It was in bar next to Prehistoric Forest in Marblehead, Ohio. I think Skylab was falling at the time. Anyway, Pong never did to much for me, but SI fascinated me. I view those old games as a godsend today. Going to bars with my parents was a deathly boring experience until the games appeared. My folks lost alot of quarters, but at least I was finally having fun!!!