Looking Back in Time at 30 Years

[RaychelSnr]

For the past few Christmases, one of my personal Yuletide traditions has been to browse YouTube for random '80s commercials in an attempt to awaken my inner child. Between Barney sliding down the chimney to steal Fred’s Fruity Pebbles and a creepy voice hawking the Clapper, I recently stumbled on a classic Super Mario Bros. 3 ad.

I was hit with an extra wave of nostalgia because unlike cereal and geriatric gadgets, this game was something I actually wanted. Somehow, this commercial had lodged itself in the the recesses of my mind, and seeing it instantly transported me back to elementary school.

Following that bit of classic advertising, I took pause to reflect on just how much video games, specifically sports games, have affected my almost-30-year lifespan.

Read More - Looking Back in Time at 30 Years

[JonahFalcon]

MicroLeague Baseball, Earl Weaver Baseball, Front Page Sports: Football Pro.

'nuff said.

[Cletus]

Great article. It sums up how I feel about sports gaming and makes me realize why I do it. Several people ask me my hobby and then look at me like I'm weird when I say video games. To me, it's just like model railroading or collecting baseball cards.

[wsu_gb23]

I used to get games for x-mas every year... I remember my brother getting the original bases loaded and I got wwf wrestling that year... both games were a blast to play...it was fun being a kid....games were always great to play. No major complaints....

[UNKATHEL68]

Re: Looking Back in Time at 30 Years

I actually remember X-mas 30 years ago and Video games were not on my list. The Atari 2600 would set you back 200 dollars and that was actually close to what my parents were paying for there mortgage. The games were between 39.99 and 49.99 back then also. Electronic Handheld games like Mattel Basketball, Football, and Baseball were more common in households in the hood.

We finally had an Atari during the summer of 81 and Atari basketball was my favorite game. After seeing how far video games have come I think graphics and ai have improved but there is so much more for people to complain about like the wrong color headband or rim color it just make gaming not as fun. <the sport gaming industries inability to put out a finished game without patches has killed the fun also>

I miss the good ole days.

[Eski33]

This article brought back great memories. As a 37 year-old gamer, I could relate to almost everything mentioned in the article.

To have seen gaming evolve in to what it is today from the most basic sprite-based characters to the polygonal picturesque gems we get to see today, has been awesome.

I had the old Magnavox Pong that graduated to the Atari 2600. I also had the Intellivision II. The gaming device that really sparked my gaming addiction was the Commodore 64. As an avid sports gamer, I lived through hours upon hours of playing Computer QB by SSI (Strategic Simulations), Statis Pro Baseball by Avalon Hill (arguably the best baseball sim ever), Courtside College Basketball and NBA: The Pro Game by Lance Haffner. I also must throw in Accolade's 4th and Inches. An 11-on-11 football game in which you could create your own teams. Having a 6'11" 700 pound running back with 4.3 speed was my greatest creation.

Then the Sega Genesis turned my addiction into something that no intervention could cure. Madden, NHL and Lakers vs Celtics (which later became NBA Live) consumed many of my college nights. Then the release of the PlayStation and NFL Gameday turned my college house into a highly competitive atmosphere every day after class.

When Madden 97 was released for the PS, the CG video which opened the game showing detailed Packers and Patriots players, only brought up dreams as I remember saying to myself that I wish the game actually looked that good.

Well, in 1999 when the Dreamcast released that "wish" was realized with NFL 2K and the sick visuals and animations that game revealed. Not to mention the best commentating team of all time.

Since that time, I have owned every console (minus handhelds) except the GameCube. Each year, the visuals get better and better and features are added that we would never have dreamed on in the 80's.

So many of today's gamers take these games for granted with such minor gripes of team socks designed incorrectly to a player having the wrong color of visor on their helmets. Being a proud old school gamer, I often stop and replay the simplest of plays in Madden 09 so I can just take in the visual awesomeness. The grass, the huge stadiums and the player detail is absolutely incredible.

Thanks for such a thought-provoking article. Brought back great memories.

[Eski33]

Great article. It sums up how I feel about sports gaming and makes me realize why I do it. Several people ask me my hobby and then look at me like I'm weird when I say video games. To me, it's just like model railroading or collecting baseball cards.

Celtus,

I feel the same way. Gaming is one of the greatest hobbies ever. I am not ashamed to say that I game. When people give me "that look" I ask them if they watch television? Most reply, "yes". Then I ask if they read books. Again, "yes."

I then inform them that gaming is no different with the exception being that you are immersed into a story with the ability to make things happen. Not to mention no matter what game you play it takes problem solving to get past obstacles.

Gaming, if done in moderation, is an excellent activity that allows people to interact with those from around the county, and the world (whoever thought you could play against a human player from a different zip code from the comfort of your home?).

[wsu_gb23]

I remember getting the dreamcast during my early college days and playing NFL 2K and thinking, "wow, graphics can't get any better than this." then along came the xbox, then the 360 and PS3....I think we are going to be seeing improvements every year.....eventually it will become photo-realistic, right?

[ofdman]

I'm a little older at 44 and I too grew up with gaming being a huge part of my life. I remember, back in the 70's, getting a PONG console and being extremely excited about it. Then A Magnavox Odyssey and from then on just about every console ever made (seriously).

I have been there for the ENTIRE evolution of video games. I saw it all and had it all. Some of the most special memories of my life involve gaming in some way or another.

One of the more memorable was going to an import shop (which was a good 2 hour drive) just to see the new generation of gaming back in early 95. This shop had the brand new Sega Saturn and the new comer Playstation which were both Japanese models since they hadn't been released here in the U.S. yet and I FREAKED! I actually, on the spot, bought the Japanese PS along with the only 2 games they had Toshinden and Ridge Racer and went home more excited than I had ever been in my entire 31 years on this earth LOL!

I had SOOOOOOO many new friends after that! Word spread fast at the local Funcoland that one of the employees friends ( My friend who worked at Funco was at my place almost every single day for weeks after I bought it) had just bought a Japanese Playstation and all of the sudden, my apartment had all KINDS of people hanging out waiting for a chance to play one of the games.

Those were the days. The glory days of video gaming.

[JeffHCross]

Jonah,
I see your "MicroLeague Baseball, Earl Weaver Baseball, Front Page Sports: Football Pro." and raise you:
Earl Weaver Baseball, NFL (circa 1990, can't remember who made it), Hardball 5 and Lakers vs Celtics and the NBA Playoffs.

[Rod_Carew29]

Pong...lol

My mom & dad bought that game for my brother and I. I remember they resisted for the longest--because at that time, in the early 70's--it was the first of it's kind...something never seen before....

[tril]

Good article, but it sounds like youve shaved a few years off of your actual age..

[CPRoark]

How so? My 30th birthday is in a few weeks, which prompted this article. It's a little depressing already...don't make me older than I am!

What makes you think that? (Just curious, not a big deal)

[LL-Cool-P]

Re: Looking Back in Time at 30 Years

I'd so be dusting off my NES right now if I still had it

[Eton Rifles]

Re: Looking Back in Time at 30 Years

The Intellivision was my first system back in the Early 80's(I'm 32 btw). The sports gamer were very fun but they were all 2 player. I can specifically remember playing the football game just scoring on offense each time for both teams.