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7/2/2025, 12:57:54 PM
>>11839503
I miss the the responsibility that came with the 1980s and 1990s. We didn't have easy mobile phones back then. So parents just trusted their kids to go out on their own and return safely by dinner time. It felt so cool as a kid that have level of trust and independence. You go out on a Saturday morning or early afternoon and meet other kids at the local arcade spot.
And every single kid there was a dedicated gamer. Not some Normie or poser who pretended to love games like they do on modern social media to get attention and likes. Nope. They were all gamers.
It didn't have to be a huge arcade either. Maybe a local spot like a Laundromat or 7-11. Each place maybe having 1 to 2 fighting games, a racing game, sports game, etc. The cabs changed every few weeks so it stayed fresh.
The cool thing back then was that arcade cabinets used to be everywhere. So you could "discover" little hidden hang out spots. Each spots had different groups of kids hanging out. And you could challenge them directly on the fighting game cabinet. Or develop friendships by helping them beat a game.
Imagine playing Metal Slug with a local kid you only just met. You both have $5 or $10 dollars and you both work together to clear the game. Both of you doing your best to stretch your money and try to survive and beat the game. Maybe you fail. Maybe you succeed. But it's epic either way. You forge a bond through through gaming combat. Then you developed a new friendship. You both don't even go to the same school, but that doesn't matter. You are friends now and now meet up on weekends. Maybe even during the week if your schedules match up. No mobile phones back then, and so you just had to trust that someone would be there.
That's how it was back then. Very exciting. New experiences every week. I'm sorry. I wish I could have given you that experience. That my generation could pass it on to you.
But the world changed so quickly. Arcades died in the early 2000s. Consoles killed it.
I miss the the responsibility that came with the 1980s and 1990s. We didn't have easy mobile phones back then. So parents just trusted their kids to go out on their own and return safely by dinner time. It felt so cool as a kid that have level of trust and independence. You go out on a Saturday morning or early afternoon and meet other kids at the local arcade spot.
And every single kid there was a dedicated gamer. Not some Normie or poser who pretended to love games like they do on modern social media to get attention and likes. Nope. They were all gamers.
It didn't have to be a huge arcade either. Maybe a local spot like a Laundromat or 7-11. Each place maybe having 1 to 2 fighting games, a racing game, sports game, etc. The cabs changed every few weeks so it stayed fresh.
The cool thing back then was that arcade cabinets used to be everywhere. So you could "discover" little hidden hang out spots. Each spots had different groups of kids hanging out. And you could challenge them directly on the fighting game cabinet. Or develop friendships by helping them beat a game.
Imagine playing Metal Slug with a local kid you only just met. You both have $5 or $10 dollars and you both work together to clear the game. Both of you doing your best to stretch your money and try to survive and beat the game. Maybe you fail. Maybe you succeed. But it's epic either way. You forge a bond through through gaming combat. Then you developed a new friendship. You both don't even go to the same school, but that doesn't matter. You are friends now and now meet up on weekends. Maybe even during the week if your schedules match up. No mobile phones back then, and so you just had to trust that someone would be there.
That's how it was back then. Very exciting. New experiences every week. I'm sorry. I wish I could have given you that experience. That my generation could pass it on to you.
But the world changed so quickly. Arcades died in the early 2000s. Consoles killed it.
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