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It is always interesting to think back to one's childhood.
The further one looks back, the more challenging the activity becomes.
For me its kind of like travelling down a deep tunnel, the walls of which are windows into previous times that seem a lifetime or more away. Often times these memories are less than perfect - with details struggling to emerge from obscurity and back into my consciousness.
Long term memory is quite a fascinating thing.
You never know what details will come back to you.
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For reasons that I do not fully recall (I think that I just wanted to look into a lighter subject for a change) I found myself thinking back to my early video game experiences.
For those who are unaware, one pillar of who I am happens to be games and game design. In truth it is a rather unfulfilled pillar - as I neither play video games these days nor do I feel that I have made enough progress on the design side of things.
Its simply how life has turned out thusfar.
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Well - as I look (way way) back, exploring my tunnel of obscured memories, I first encounter rather normal things but the things encountered quickly grow ever more obscure and abstract.
This laptop... ("my first wife" has been with me a full 10 years - it counts as a memory past, present, and (hopefully) future* ;c)
(* Although I strongly suspect that I'll be "cheating" on my "wife" in favor of something with a much younger chipset, before another year is out!)
The cobalt blue tower... (Upon which I used to do most of my PC stuff and gaming. Unfortunately its flawed design fried both my hard drives. Twice.)
A couple other towers... (back when a PC was a shared thing in the family - as was Netscape also 'a thing'.)
Table-top Gaming... I really enjoyed getting together with a few friends and playing rpgs, skirmish games or wargaming (my luck with the dice was so bad in any case that its almost legendary).
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Various Board Games... (leaving aside the contemporaries, I'm thinking games like Chess, Checkers, Ludo, Cluedo, Monopoly, The Settlers of Catan, etc.)
The Playstation... (Yes - just the original PS1 that my brother bought and I at the time grudgingly (yet thankfully) forsook the next entry for (sadly its laser died - though again - I still have it))
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The Atari STfm... (Countless hours and near enough a decade of enjoyment (and I still have it - though I cannot vouch for the diskettes))
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The Apple ][+... (Second-hand machine that I spent a near countless number of hours mostly playing the same game on. When that game died - I spent some time playing 'Battle For Normandy' and then this era died).
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Legos (Again, I cannot count the hours that I spent with these little blocks).
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'Stickle-bricks' (This was more of an interim toy)
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The Spellmaster, the Tobytronic, and Omni Jnr (The electronic games or toys that either captured my attention first or most).
Sources: 1,2,3.
And that which came before probably consisted of wooden blocks, spinning tops, magic sketch pads. plastic cars and, of course, soft toys...
...I was quite well-sheltered as a child... :c) Well at least you learnt a little something about me. ;c)
For me this was quite an interesting exercise. Besides feeling duly reminded that I had it good, I also found myself remembering things that I'd not thought about in years. I find appreciation in this - and I get the feeling that this appreciation is not unlike the appreciation that far older individuals get when they think back upon their lives.
Life is a precious string of experiences and lessons - and we owe it to ourselves to grasp every moment as each and every one is a gift - even if it may not always seem like it.
While I kinda doubt it in this case (owing to the personal nature of the post) I look forward to hearing from you in the comments below. What gaming platforms or toys did you grow up with? How did they contribute to your development?
Also, if you found this post interesting and would like to share this with your followers and friends then a resteem is always appreciated.
Sincerely,
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