This October, we celebrate the 30th anniversary of the launch of the Atari 2600 gaming console, the first major, popular home computer game system. Jesus freakin’ Christ on a stick, how old does that make me?
My friend at Platt Ranch Elementary, Steve Leiken, was the first kid in the neighborhood to have a microwave oven, an in-the-egg scrambler, an ATM card, a VHS player, cable television, and an Atari 2600. I used to go over to his house to play the execrably bad version of Pac-Man, as well as Missile Command, Breakout, Donkey Kong, Pole Position and Pitfall (probably the best game).
Of course, we could play all these games at the arcade for 25 cents a hit. But there was something so unbelievable cool about being able to play arcade games at home, even if they were gorked, blocky versions.
My family couldn’t afford the steep $199 for the console and the $29 a pop for games. We didn’t get our own console at home until the Intellivision came out in 1979 (and even then I don’t think we bought one until ‘81 or ‘82).
I don’t miss the Atari 2600, with the terrible games, blocky 8-way joysticks (although they were fun to take apart), and temperamental cartridges. But I miss the feeling of having a toy that your parents not only didn’t have as kids, but couldn’t have imagined existing as kids. We were there at the very beginning. Suck it, n00bs.
