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A Wall of Retro Memories – Curated by the One and Only Ms. Ausretrogamer!

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A Frame Full of Memories – A Gift from the Heart of Ms Ausretrogamer

Every now and then, something unexpectedly awesome happens in your retro-gaming life, and this time it came courtesy of my better half, Ms Ausretrogamer herself.

While I was busy diving into pixels, pinballs, and handheld nostalgia, she secretly gathered every pass, badge, lanyard, pin, medal, and random bits of retro-event paraphernalia I’ve collected over years of attending expos, conventions, tournaments, open days, and launch events. We’re talking the whole backlog of memories and nerd credentials.

And then she went full curator mode.

What I saw next absolutely blew me away:

  • All of it beautifully framed.
  • A museum-grade collage of my adventures across the retro-gaming universe.
  • A time capsule of joy, fandom, and button-mashing history – all now hanging proudly in our games room.

It stopped me in my tracks! It reminded me of all the amazing places we’ve been, the great people we’ve met, the tournaments we battled in, the arcades we rediscovered, and the endless good times that come with being part of this incredible community. It’s not just memorabilia – it’s a reminder that every event left a mark, and that she and I shared so many of those moments together.

Honestly… she nailed it.
The composition, the colours, the layering – chef’s kiss. This isn’t just a wall of frames; it’s a tribute wall to retro gaming culture and to the epic memories that keep the Ausretrogamer flame burning bright.

So here’s to Ms Ausretrogamer, the mastermind behind this unique and very special creation. The games room just levelled up, and so did my heart. ❤️

Podcast: Vertical Hold – Retro Gaming In Self Isolation

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I can’t believe that we (myself and Ms. ausretrogamer) have never appeared together on a podcast! Well, I am here to tell you that we finally made our debut together in guest speaking on episode 275 of the Vertical Hold podcast!

The topic of discussion was how we were passing the time and keeping our sanity in this worldwide pandemic. We delve into the midst of nostalgia and discuss all things gaming, from retro and modern, pinball, arcade, board games to the Commodore 64, SNES, RetroPie and Nintendo’s Wii! Oh yeah, Double Dragon and Zelda came up in conversation too 😉

Thank you to Alex Kidman and Adam Turner for having us on their brilliant weekly Vertical Hold podcast, we had a blast!

 

CONTRA: Celebrating 32 Years of the Irresistible Force

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Contra, Gryzor or Probotector. No matter what name you know this classic Konami run and gun game by, you will definitely remember it as one tough mother of a game! Konami had an instant hit on their hands when they released the arcade machine on this day [February 20] in 1987. Happy 30th anniversary Contra, you irresistible force!

For those that have been away from Earth since early 1987, here is the lowdown on Contra:

Midnight, September 12 2631. The Marines catch sight of a small-sized meteorite that is fast approaching Earth. The meteorite plummets 20km north-east of New Zealand, at the Gal Mosquito Archipelago. The command keep watch of the meteorite.

Two years later, in December 2633, an intruder known as the Red Falcon is occupying the Gal Mosquito Archipelago and is planning the fall of mankind. Command orders confidential investigations at the enemy’s front base. The marine post orders for two “Contra” soldiers, Private First Class Bill “Mad Dog” Rizer and Private First Class Lance “Scorpion” Bean on a mission. The mission being: penetrate the insides of the enemy, destroy the front base and the entire centre of operation.

 

Emoji Art for Geeks

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We knew there was a good use for emojis!

Our talented co-founder, Ms. Ausretrogamer has put emojis to good use by creating iconic artwork of pop culture geekiness, from Star Wars, Dr. Who, Donkey Kong, to The Simpsons, Bob’s Burgers, The Shining and Mortal Kombat to name just a few.

If you don’t want to miss Ms. Ausretrogamer’s geeky emoji artwork, follow her on Twitter.

 

Behind The Scenes: Making of the Ausretrogamer Header Image

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After her awesome work on the Ausretrogamer Fun Factory, Ms Ausretrogamer’s turned her talents to creating the ausretrogamer social media header image you have all seen (and hopefully like) on Twitter and Facebook.

Check out the behind the scene of making this header image, as it it definitely wasn’t easy. The end result was all worth it!

Syd Bolton’s Video Game Collection And Personal Computer Museum

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headerNext time I’m in Brantford, Ontario I know where I’m going: Syd Bolton’s Personal Computer Museum!

According to the website, they have over 45 interactive computer displays and over 1,000 computers in total. The collection consist of a massive 25,000 artifacts (including computers, software, magazines and books) with approximately 5,000 items in the museum at any given time. Check out the lists of computers and software.

The museum is open on select dates as well as for school/group tours (best school excursion ever!).

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Syd is Canada’s top video game collector – watch him and his partner Jenny Schween talk about what it’s like to have such a large collection of video games (15,000!) and computers:


Source: Syd Bolton’s YouTube Channel

Source: The Personal Computer Museum Facebook Page, The Personal Computer Museum Website, Syd Bolton’s YouTube Channel

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msausretrogamerMs. ausretrogamer
Editor and Researcher 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

 

 

DIY Retrogaming Clock

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Stuck what to buy for your gamer partner? How about upcycling (Ed: oo’er, fancy word!) that tired old clock you have hanging on the kitchen wall? What a great idea!

Not only will you save money, you will also get a sense of fulfillment by creating something that is uber cool and not to mention feeling proud of your DIY retrogaming time piece hanging in the games room.

OK, let’s get our hands dirty – trust us, this is straight forward and shouldn’t take you too long:

  1. Find four cool video gaming artworks (try here)
  2. Take old clock

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  1. Stick background images together (leave one join open)

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  1. Slide onto clock face and trace to outline onto the back of the paper. Cut the circle.

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  1. Glue down backing paper, then glue space invaders magnets in place to mark numbers.

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  1. Hang on wall!

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msausretrogamerMs. ausretrogamer
Editor and Researcher 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

 

 

Getting Ready For PAXAus 2014: Ms. Ausretrogamer’s DIY Lara Croft Cosplay

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I had always wanted to make my own cosplay costume. I was inspired by all the awesome cosplay I saw at PAX AUS last year. To prepare for PAX AUS 2014 I dusted off my sewing machine and hot glue gun and embarked on a DIY cosplay adventure!

I did not have to think hard to choose the subject for my creation – I adore the Tomb Raider series, so Lara’s pistols and holsters were the obvious choice.

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Here is how I did it:

First I found the pistols – it took a bit of searching, but I eventually found some on Amazon.

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Next I got some black leather-look vinyl, strapping and clips for the holsters from Spotlight – the sales assistant asked me what I was making, and I initially said shyly ‘just a costume’ but when I realised how suspicious that sounded I explained it was for holsters!

To make the holsters:

  1. Cut 4 from the vinyl, glue 2 together and sew the top and bottom edges.

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  1. Fold into a cone shape around barrel of the gun and glue the long edges together.

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Then I attached the holsters to the belt (the belt was just $4.25 – thanks Salvos)

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  1. Cut and sew loops on the ends of 4 straps. The straps should reach from the belt to the middle of the holsters.

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  1. Cut and sew loops on the ends of 2 straps. These straps should reach from the middle of the holsters to the leg straps/bottom of the holsters. Sew together in a ‘Y’ shape.

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  1. Then glue the holsters onto the ‘Y’ shaped straps.

Finally make the thigh straps (with clips to allow for bio breaks!).

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To complete my outfit I got some leather fingerless gloves from eBay.

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And here is the finished product – now I’m ready for PAX AUS 2014. Don’t forget to stop by to say hello to the ausretrogamer team and play a game or two (or three) in the classic console area!

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Tomb Raider image source: TombRaiders.Net

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msausretrogamerMs. ausretrogamer
Editor and Researcher 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