I thought I would eschew the usual canon of arcade games (who doesn’t know Asteroids, Space Invaders or Galaxians?) and post some images that evoke my time at the amusement arcade (specifically Drayton Manor Parks Amusement Arcade).
In order of appearance here – Boot Hill, Periscope, Killer Shark.
Images courtesy of;
http://www.arrse.co.uk/lamp-sandbag-ii-tall-story-strikes-back/110328-old-arcade-game.html
It occurred to me this morning that I have been playing videogames for 35 years now. It is officially my longest and most expensive habit / hobby, and I would like to celebrate that fact in the form of a series of postings that will chart, in chronological order, the highlights of 35 years of gaming.
First up, 1977 and the Binatone TV Master MK IV.
In all its tangerine orange glory. The Binatone TV Master MK IV was a TV miracle, giving you 4 games in one reasonably sized console (roughly the size of a PS1, but shaped like a wedge of cheese). The 4 games were Football, Tennis, Squash and Squash Practice. They were, in reality, variatons of PONG, or carbon copies, but no less enjoyable or addictive. A game for the whole family! There was little 1 player option, the console was geared toward the multiplayer experience, and was arcade perfect in its translation. But it would have taken something special to ruin the purity of a port of PONG to the nascent home gamer.
For more information;
http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?st=3&c=1035
