Ask the Game Trust: The First Game You Bought
2/5/2009 4:57 PM | 19 Comments | Page 3 of 7
James Fudge: Yar's Revenge (Atari 2600)
When did you buy it? It was the middle of 1983 (I think) and I was 13.
Why did you choose that particular game? We hadn't had a videogame system since
Pong, and that poor console suffered one night in a tragic accident involving a fight between my mom and dad and a paved driveway in Pownal, Vermont. Growing up in a big family, we were not lucky enough to get the Atari 2600 at launch, but when the price hit rock-bottom my mother bought one, and all my brothers and sisters fought for game-time morning, noon and night.
How much did it cost? I paid 50 cents for it at a Hudson, New York Radio Shack.
Did it live up to your expectations? Yar's Revenge was just an awesome game, mainly because the concept of a frantic space shooter was foreign to me. Poor people tend to take advantage of corporate misery (because we have to; we're poor), so Atari's market crash was like a door to another universe opening.
Do you still own the game? Yar's Revenge is long-gone, along with the Atari 2600. The game system eventually gave up the ghost, and is in heaven with all my gold-box game disks, my TRS 80 and the five or six Nintendo Entertainment Systems I ended up buying.
Would you buy it again (at the original price)? Sure; it was worth a lot more than 50 cents and it was a lot of fun. My unhip mother even played it -- it was her foray into the world of videogames. But I'm also aware that there are plenty of remakes out there that can be played on my PC.
David Thomas: Zork I (Apple IIc)
When did you buy it? Around 1984, I managed to combine my meager savings with a strong argument convincing my parents that I needed a personal computer. The Apple IIc was the real deal and, of course, the first thing I went out and bought was a floppy disc with
Zork I on it.
Why did you choose that particular game? I was a D&D nerd who had moved to a new city and didn't have anyone to fantasize about
ye olde creatures with. So, I suppose, the idea of an adventure game was appealing in and of itself. That, and there wasn't much to chose from in the plastic baggie empire that was Apple Software.
Zork came in a box (
big plus), looked like it would be fun, and hit me right between my D&D eyes.
How much did it cost? No idea. It was a priceless acquisition.
Did it live up to your expectations? Of course! But my best memory of the game is being stuck in this room where everything you typed (it was a text adventure, kids) simply repeated what you typed. "Go out," GO OUT. "Look up," LOOK UP. "Eat the dirt under my feet," EAT THE DIRT UNDER MY FEET. I was stuck for a week. When my girlfriend asked what I was doing, she read the screen and typed, "Echo". And the puzzle was solved! Turns out that wasn't the first time that a girl came along and sorted me out properly.
