UK 80s Retro Gamers

[stigzler]

This looks interesting; docu on the development of the UK games industry since the 80s:

http://www.frombedroomstobillions.com/

[tthurman]

Evolve or die (1:57 of the trailer)

Looks interesting.

[stigzler]

Just watched it - thoroughly recommended for UK old-skool nostalgia + hey - all these fellas from our youth (e.g. Zzap 64 fellas) aint looking too bad and they're older than me!

May also be of interest to others too!

[DazzleHP]

Watching them trailers really make me appreciate that i was able to experience the birth of video games, from playing on my dads 2600 as a toddler, to playing my childhood away on the C64, to drunken nights playing Skid Marks and Zool on the Amiga. I feel so privileged it almost brings a tear to my eye .

From what is now considered a normal everyday pastime, i experienced the stigma of being a gamer in the 80's. Being treated the same as a junkie, as someone with "issues" all because i loved playing video games - family interventions and all! - yup, that actually happened kids! How so very far we have come.

[stigzler]

And it still persists today, Dazzle in the field. You'd be amazed....it's the eternal battle of parental expectations of norms vs true free will.

It's a funny old game - the people who create this s**t are cast as geeks and outcasts. But then it becomes a social norm and people start consuming and using it every day. Personally, I can't stand Facebook (telnet + bulletin boards!), any big game franchises (read: 1980s ocean) or even tbh my smartphone. However, I do love the journey to get there - testing what's possible and making things happen. Watching a lot of Steve Jobs today, trying to get my head around my unease with Apple. And I think it's precisely that - some amazingly fantastic creative minds go into design and development at Apple (and undoubtedly in Massive software houses + social media groups), but then it all seems to disappear into the big gray mush of bread and circuses for the masses. Bit like bringing the Venus De Milo into the world then using it as a door stop. All one big anti-climax.

Anywhoos - tis true - you were there during the genesis Daz! Something to tel the grandkids about. It'll be a bit like your grandparents going on about Harold Lloyd, Laurel and Hardy or the introduction of television. They'll yawn and take more than 8 sprites; parallax scrolling and more than 4 voices for granted.

Sheesh - the yoof of today.

[Draco1962]

Sadly they won't experience the joyfull squeal of a 2400 bps modem connecting to a BBS or the hours long wait for a 32k file download to finish, and the hand cramps from mashing a one button joystick on the way to victory and saving the world from pixelated alien invaders... sigh.

[DazzleHP]

At the risk of sounding old, i stand by the fact that most of us here witnessed first hand a revolution, a revolution that was essentially brought upon by the kids of the 70's and 80's. Us!

It's all too easy to accept nowadays that gaming is a part of life, but things could have easily gone in another direction.

Technology would have always advanced the way it did, but the gaming medium was never guaranteed.

It was the passion of the programmers plus the demand of the players that ultimately got us to where we are today, and i feel quite proud of that If the players weren't there, the programmers wouldn't have made the games and our present tech would most likely be very different

@Stigz - I don't quite understand the Facebook generation either - why would you tell the whole world what you are doing? Compulsively?! But at the same time my family thought i was nuts coz i liked to play Beach Head on C64 for hours (medic!) and i turned out OK - mostly

[tthurman]

We already laid claim to the cool stuff, and frankly I don't care about the social media dynasty!

I'm quite happy having grown up during the arcade dynasty

[stigzler]

Well, its due to obligatory narcisism required by an awful western socio economic policy. "Its all about me and sod everyone else" sheesh. Medic!