Gamer Girl: Games to Remember

Gamer Girl Musings: Games to Remember

If you were a kid in the ’70s and ’80s, chances are you were among the first wave of gamers. Computers and consoles of that era included: the Atari, the Commodore, the Amiga, and of course Nintendo and Sega. It’s hard to imagine this new form of entertainment passing you by, and almost everyone remembers something about the classic games. I remember sitting in front of my family’s television set (which back in those days was a large wooden box with a dial to change the channels!) playing Atari games with my two older brothers. Some games still stand as the cornerstones of gaming for many who played them in their youths and still remember them fondly as adults today. In this article, we talk about the games to remember, some of the all-time classics, and what they meant to our generation.

Mortal Kombat

Are you old enough to remember the original Mortal Kombat played on arcade cabinets in holiday resorts? That was before it migrated onto the SNES and became a massive hit in homes of kids around the world. It featured classic characters like Sonya Blade, the kick-ass special forces agent, and Kano, from the Black Dragon organization just to name a few. Each character had their own reasons for entering the tournament, which made following the backstories super-nerdy. It’s thought to be one of the greatest video games ever, by critics. My personal favorite was Mortal Kombat 3. I loved playing as Mileena because I had mastered her finishing move. Though the pixilated blood spatters of the time don’t hold a candle to the gore of the MK games we have today, it was still considered a gorefest back in its day.

Duck Hunt

It might not have the full-throttle excitement of Madalin Stunt Cars 3, but Duck Hunt was still a revolution in console gaming when it was first released in 1984. Nintendo had the bright idea of bringing some of the arcade experience into the home by introducing a light gun shooter. The gun plugged into the front of the console instead of a controller and used a light beam to interact with the game. Duck Hunt was a launch game that received few reviews at the time but has since become an iconic classic that set the stage for Nintendo’s future vision. I still remember hating that dog every time he laughed at me. This was another family favorite in our household growing up.

Goldeneye 007

Two years after the famous movie Goldeneye 007, an excellent and unforgettable video game was released on the Nintendo 64. There were two game modes, single-player and multiplayer, each with their own appeal. Players make their way through various settings of the film in pursuit of double agent Alec Trevelyan. The graphics and gameplay for the time were outstanding, and the multiplayer mode offered hours of fun to small groups of nerdy friends. Perhaps an unlikely classic, but a classic for good reasons. My oldest brother and I especially loved going head to head in this classic.

The Legend of Zelda

We can’t talk about classic nerdy games without mentioning The Legend of Zelda. Another one of Nintendo’s excellent worlds populated with magical characters and secret discoveries. The very first Zelda game was released on the NES and used a bird’s eye perspective of the world. Link moved through flat two-dimensional walls and collected rupees from small chests. Fast-forward almost four decades and The Legend of Zelda is still a nerdy favorite amongst fans who now not only play the game but also attend conventions. This is definitely one of my favorite fantasy game franchises of all time! It’s amazing to see just how far this franchise has come and that it is still going strong today.

Super Mario Bros.

The very first Super Mario Bros. game was released in Japan in 1985, and shortly after it was introduced to North America and Europe. The first incarnation of the game was a 2D platform that introduced the characters, the world, and the magic. Who doesn’t remember the discovery of fireball Mario, or invincible Mario, features that have become inseparable from the game? Super Mario was an instant success, and the universe has continued to expand ever since, with many spin-off games. Nowadays, Super Mario nerds eagerly await the release of Nintendo’s next console to step into the next version of the imaginative realm.  My brothers loved figuring out “cheats” to whiz through the game in less than a day, whereas I loved taking my time exploring every single level, grabbing every single coin! A bonus was the combo of this game and aforementioned Duck Hunt on the same cartridge!

These are just a few of my personal favorite games from growing up. Gaming with my big brothers was one of my gateways into future nerdom. Which was your first gaming console/computer system growing up? Do you remember the first video game you ever played? Mine happened to be Spy vs. Spy on the Atari. Tell us about your favorite classic game pastimes in the comments below or on any of our social meeds.

Stay Nerdy!
~Jams