The Pop-Culture E-Zine
Enjoy a trip down memory lane with Dave Freeman’s hour long compilation of 1980s video game commercials from the Video Game Commercial Archive that was released on DVD in 2007.
This video is jam packed with so much nostalgia, it will make you giddy!
source: Dave Freeman
By: D.C. Cutler, U.S.A.
I recently walked into a hipster bar that I had never been in before. I immediately felt slightly old. Everyone there was in their early twenties; some of them didn’t look old enough to order a beer. As I made my way past the bustling, long bar, I noticed something in the back corner of the place that I hadn’t seen in a longtime.
A large group of twentysomethings were gathered around an original Pac-Man arcade machine. I hadn’t seen a Pac-Man machine since I was a little kid. It was a smack of nostalgia in a place I didn’t expect it.
Like the Rubik’s Cube or the DeLorean DMC-12, Pac-Man is an 80s icon. Seeing a vintage machine with a group of Millennials playing it, made me curious. I sat at a small booth near the Pac-Man machine and watched the young group feed the machine quarters. They were having such a blast trying to see who could reach the highest score with one quarter.
source: ausretrogamer
After a few craft beers, I wanted to try my hand at Pac-Man; but they had taken over the machine. It was entertaining watching them shriek and groan when they got devoured by a ghost. It may’ve been the first time any of them had ever played the arcade version of Pac-Man, but I still wanted my turn.
Pac-Man brings people together. From the time the game was released in arcades in October 1980, Pac-Man has been a unifier that you could play with friends. Pac-Man is cross-generational. It seems simple at first, but as you keep playing, the difficulty of each stage keeps you addicted to clear the maze.
When Pac-Man was released in 1980, movie theatre owners and movie moguls were worried that the game would hurt the film industry. Pac-Man was taking money away from Paramount and 20th Century Fox. Pac-Man’s enormous popularity was short-lived, but at its height, movie studio executives had to be worried about how long they would be competing with the bright yellow machines.
I never got to play the Pac-Man machine in that bar that night, but I enjoyed watching the twentysomethings play a game that this October will turn 38-years-old. Will there ever be another Pac-Man? I doubt it.
source: ausretrogamer
Gotta share this video that was posted by video game history guy, John Anderson. Using John’s words, this is, “A 1981 TV news report by WMAQ-TV in Chicago about the makers of Defender (Williams Electronics) and inside the Midway factory assembling Pac-Man arcade cabinets (350 a day!)”.
Ah the 80s, we definitely miss you so much!
A 1981 TV news report about the makers of Defender (Williams Electronics) and inside the Midway factory assembling Pac-Man arcade cabinets (350 a day!) from WMAQ-TV in Chicago. Via: The Museum of Classic Chicago Television. pic.twitter.com/x3fayTqlJw
— John Andersen (@JohnAndersen21) December 18, 2017
source: John Anderson via Twitter
If you have been with us since we began our retro gaming journey, you’d know that we are huge Double Dragon fans, especially the arcade game!
Speaking of the arcade, would you believe that Double Dragon is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year! It’s amazing that after three decades, this game is still being talked about with such affection.
Kung-Fu Master and Renegade may have preceded it, but Double Dragon was the first co-operative beat’em up on the arcade block. Who could forget the two Lee brothers punching, kicking, elbowing Black Warrior thugs to get to their damsel in distress. Let’s not spoil it for those that haven’t finished the game, but let’s just say that brotherly love doesn’t count.
Being the first co-op beat’em up game, Double Dragon paved the way for all that came after it and kickstarted the golden age of the beat’em up. Long live Double Dragon!
Interesting fact: Double Dragon’s arcade board is quite complex – instead of utilising an expensive 16-Bit CPU, the game runs on two 8-Bit CPUs with a third CPU dedicated to sound! How ingenuous!
Growing Up In Arcades: 1979-1989 is a beautiful collection of retro photos on flickr of, you guessed it, 1980’s arcades. Most photos have been contributed by Kevin R ‘Rad Arcade’.
‘A look back at the arcades that consumed much of our time and quarters back in the 80s. Looking for scans of vintage games in the wild. So if you have old arcade or Chuck E. Cheese birthday pics, dig ’em up! They belong here.’
Spend some time admiring the games (note the pleasing lack of redemption machines), the fashion, the smiles and the colours – great memories! Also, don’t forget to add a few of your own pics. Here are a handful photos to whet your appetite, but be sure to visit flickr to see the whole collection.
‘Pizza’ submitted by Ray Conrado
‘Mark’s 7th Birthday Party’ submitted by Aaron Caldwell
‘Broadway in S.F.’ submitted by James Aaron Dillon
‘Hangin’ with my friends at lunch’ submitted by Elwood Rose
‘Soviet Pre-Video Games’ submitted by Ben Madison
‘Time Out Tunnel’ submitted by Kevin R
‘Pinball’ submitted by Kevin R
‘Fun Terminal’ submitted by Kevin R
‘Pinball’ submitted by Sulaco99
‘Pool Arcade’ submitted by Kevin R
Source: Growing Up In Arcades: 1979-1989 on flickr
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Ms. ausretrogamer
Co-founder, editor and writer at ausretrogamer – The Australian Retro Gamer E-Zine. Lover of science fiction, fashion, books, movies and TV. Player of games, old and new.
Follow Ms. ausretrogamer on Twitter
What are the best things about the 1980s? The Smiths and retro videogames, of course! If you agree with me, it’s your lucky day – check out these awesome Smiths chiptune compilations from the ‘Just, Morrissey & The Smiths’ YouTube channel. I was looking for a chiptune, and then I found a chiptune, and heaven knows I’m happy now!
Video source: Just, Morrissey & The Smiths on YouTube
Volume I
1. This Charming Man (by Alan Paz)
2. There Is A Light That Never Goes Out (by Leeni)
3. William, It Was Really Nothing (by godlesswickedvanian)
4. Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now (by godlesswickedvanian)
5. Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want (by artist unknown)
Video source: Just, Morrissey & The Smiths on YouTube
Volume II
1. The Boy With The Thorn In His Side (by godlesswickedvanian)
2. You’ve Got Everything Now (by artist unknown)
3. The Headmaster Ritual (by Lynit)
4. How Soon Is Now? (by SixSickSix)
Source: Laughing Squid
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Ms. ausretrogamer
Co-founder, editor and writer at ausretrogamer – The Australian Retro Gamer E-Zine. Lover of science fiction, fashion, books, movies and TV. Player of games, old and new.
Follow Ms. ausretrogamer on Twitter
When I first began playing video games in the early 80s, arcade games were the pinnacle of the gaming experience – they had huge cabinets, great graphics, booming sound, and if you were good enough (or had lots of 20 cent coins), gameplay that would keep you coming back.
Being a nostalgist, I was recently reminiscing about arcade games I played at the local darkened arcade parlour, the corner milk bar and also the fish and chips shop near my school. With a smile on my face, I compiled a number of screenshots of arcade games that kept me mesmerised in the 1980s. I hope these bring back great memories for you, as they have for me. Enjoy and remember, “Winners Don’t Use Drugs!”.
My favourite beat’em up of all time. Nothing beats the kneeing to the head and wrapping a baseball bat around a the Black Warriors head!
Save Ronnie and grab some burgers and coke! We are bad dudes fighting the dragon ninja!
Still my go-to vertical shoot’em up! Plenty of 20c coins were spent on Galaga!
The little yellow dot muncher never let me down
The droning sound of this most awesomest of dungeon-maze crawlers is still sublime
Wrestling was huge in the mid 80s, and Wrestle War was a laugh!
Saving the kidnapped Madonna, one kick at a time!
Who could forget this aerial dogfighting classic from Yu Suzuki!
Another Yu Suzuki classic!
The game that ushered in the Golden Age of Arcades
The helicopter cockpit version of Thunder Blade was simply awesome!
The ninja craze was huge in the 80s. Everyone wanted to throw shurikens like Joe!
My beat’em up love began with Kung Fu Master
It was either Salamander or R-Type. I chose Irem’s blaster!
Yu Suzuki’s Out Run will always be associated with coolness!
Ikari Warriors – guerrilla warfare with a mate
Heavy Barrel – just like Ikari Warriors, but with a rotary stick to shoot baddies in 8-directions!
Another Sega classic. This was as close as I got to riding a motocross bike in the 80s
The seminal Nintendo classic will always be on my favourites list
The timeless Taito platform beauty – I love you Bub and Bob
A bomb disposal hero in leotards = perfect!
4P dungeon exploring never got any better than this!
Tempest – the vector splendour!
Going to Flashbacks on Swanston Street was always about Discs of Tron
Special agent action via Elevator Action
I wasn’t much of a skateboarder, but I was pretty good on 720 Degrees!
The ultimate single-screen blaster!
There was something about Moon Patrol that I can’t even explain now!
What would any 80s arcade list be without TMNT. Cowabunga!
Double Dragon started the 2P co-op beat’em up genre, Final Fight took it to another level!
source: various – supplied on request
From Real Genius, War Games and Weird Science, to TRON, Spies Like Us and Cloak & Dagger, how many other 80s movies can you spot from this montage of computer hacking in films?
The team at Found Item Clothing have done a stellar job in collating and presenting the silliest, best and iconic hacking scenes from the big screen. Oh the nostalgia!
Source: FoundItemClothing
Sometimes, the less that is said, the better. When it comes to art, it should be left to speak for itself.
With that in mind, we give you the totally awesome iconic 80’s movies and video game stained-glass posters by Italian twin brother design team, Van Orton Design. If this doesn’t give you a nostalgic injection, then I don’t know what will! Wipe your drool and enjoy.
Source: Van Orton Design
Remember the old “Are you keeping up with the Commodore” television commercial? Or who could forget the ‘Atari Summer‘ promotion for their 5200?
The advertising wars weren’t just confined to print media. There were shots fired via television commercials by all major players. Commodore focused on the family unit and pushed their C64 as a home computer for the entire family to enjoy. Atari on the other hand chose to sex it up when it was time to peddle their ill-fated 5200 Super System.
Sega played it safe when it came to introducing the west to their 8-bit Master System by depicting a family (minus mum!) having fun with their arcade conversions. Meanwhile, Nintendo hit hard in the USA with their 1985 commercial, introducing us to R.O.B, the Zapper gun and their 8-bit console beauty, the NES. The rest, as they say, is history.
Take a trip down nostalgia lane and relive the television commercials that introduced us to our most beloved systems.
Are You Keeping Up – Commodore 64
source: gamemusicparadise
Nobody’s Hotter Than Atari This Summer
source: DigThatBoxRETRO
The Challenge Will Always Be There – Sega
source: robatsea2009
The Birth Of The Nintendo Entertainment System
source: DigThatBoxRETRO