Gather round all and I will tell you a tale of absolute wonder. Back when I was but a little whipper-snapper we didn't have your fancy dandy portable video games that could fit in the palm of your hand. Oh no. We had fancy dandy portable video games that looked like this:
And Donkey Kong was my absolute favorite!!
My local convenient store had the arcade version right by the front door. And that game just called to me to buy lots of candy and spend my quarters in hours (okay, minutes) of bliss. So when I found out I could, in a way, take this game home with me, well it was a done deal.
The great thing about having an Atari 2600 was that everyone in my family enjoyed it...including adults. Therefore, they decided we should subrscribe to Atari Age Magazine. I guess they figured its insights would allow us to dominate the video game realm.
And AtariAge.Com has some of those very same issues I used to have. Including Issue #1.
Never has an electronic device brought so much joy and amazement. Instead of socializing at the local arcade, I could now sit alone in my living room and suck at video games without a crowd pointing and mocking. And it only cost about a hundred bucks.
It was a glorious spring day when my sister and I arrived home to find this baby hooked up to our console television. My mom was already sitting in front of the screen trying to master Pac Man. I believe there was no sleep in my househould for the next 48 hours.
Now, back in the day, we didn't have your fancy-dandy Wal-Marts or Targets. Nope. We had to trek on over to Service Merchandise or Sears to pick up any new games we wanted to challenge ourself with. Oh, and don't even think you could rent them. For the love of all, consumer VCR's were a few years away.
And let's face it. Atari games were masters of impressionism. This:
Equals this:
And, finally, I've got to admit one reason I hold the Atari 2600 at such a high place in my heart, is that it was almost the last time I was any good at video games. Now you know.
Ahhh...the 1980's arcade. Rush blasting on the speakers. Smoke as thick as a London fog. Greasy pizza. Hot nachos. And neutral ground whereapon the nerds and the cool kids could come together in peace. I mean, where else could a kid in his lemon yellow Atlanta Braves Peter Pan Peanut Butter Club t-shirt hang out with dudes sporting AC/DC t-shirts chainsmoking a mile a minute.
The saint behind this Shangri-La is a man by the name of Peter Hirschberg!! This mad genius with a heart for classic arcades built himself a temple filled with over a hundred classic arcade games. But don't get any ideas about making a pilgrimage. This place is PRIVATE!! However, Mr. Hirschberg is no Grinch, and this story has a happy ending. The Luna City Arcade occassionally opens to the public for random game days. In fact, here's some video of his latest:
As you can tell, this was a benefit for a worthy cause.
I am a nerd. No, not the kind that can do your homework. And not the kind forced into giving up my milk money. Instead, I'm the kind of nerd fascinated with bad horror movies, toys, and cartoons. I don't know squat about playing D&D, but I can tell you all about its Saturday morning cartoon. Forget X-Box. I'm talking about the Atari 2600. If my wife rolls her eyes at it, you'll find it here. This is the perfect place to nerd-out without the Alpha Betas or my wife kicking my butt. So won't you join me?
