Retro Game Videos Tuesday, October 03, 2006

I was born the same year as the computer role-playing game. dnd was a text-based adventure written for PLATO, a computer-based education system that hosted the precusors to a huge number of modern applications, from MMORPGs and flight simulators, to chat rooms, IM and free cell. Having matured along with video games, I can get misty-eyed when I remember the times when video games were just a joystick and big, shiny fire button.

If you do, too, then you should check out this stroll down memory lane and see how many of the games featured you can name. I think I got 17 out of the 28:

1. Galaxian
2. Kangaroo
3. ?
4. Moon Patrol
5. ?
6. 1942
7. Joust
8. Frogger
9. Pac Man
10. Space Invaders
11. Ms. Pac Man
12. Berzerk
13. ?
14. ?
15. Arkanoid
16. ?
17. Defender
18. ?
19. Galaga (I may have this one confused with Galaxian)
20. Missile Command
21. Donkey Kong
22. ?
23. Arkanoid (again)
24. Asteroids
25. ?
26. ?
27. Dragon's Lair

Bonus points to anyone (gnomie, this one should be right up your alley) who can name the ones I didn't know.

Afterwards, check out these two cool stop-animation homages to classic video gaming: Human Space Invaders, a stop-motion reenactment of a game of Space Invaders using people seated in a theater, and Game Over, a more creative stop-motion tribute to classic video games using candles, rocks, and bugs. Cool stuff for those of us who once saw Battlezone and said "mint!"