A Galaga arcade machine on the ferry to Victoria did it for me. I was barely tall enough to see the screen or reach the controls--and I died a lot since I think I was four--but my grandpa kept giving me quarters.
I like to pretend it was filial love and a desire to see his young grandson happy, but I've come to realise that it was more likely his desire to keep me glued down in one spot for the remainder of the trip so that I didn't bother anyone.
Next winter, my dad traded our dusty pool table to my uncle for his his atari 2600 and a bevy of games. The ones I remember playing most were Stampede, Ms Pac-Man, Warlords, Breakout, Kaboom and Dodge 'Em. These were the first games I can recall where I unsderstood objectives, but Galaga was still what blew me away.
|