ATARI….if you know it, I know your age!!!

Christmas is over, a new year has presented itself and like every year, presents were under the Tree. This year something very old showed up under the tree for my dad….it was an ATARI game console, sold by Lidl in Germany.

Atari flashback 8 Gold

Yes, indeed. One of the first pure game consoles on the market which influenced my life a lot. If you don’t know the brand name ATARI, you definitely know the Pac-Man game that featured as one of the most bought and played games ever.

This modernized version of the Atari, which you can find follow this ATARI link here, came with lots of games, that I played with my family for hours and which we enjoyed so much. Some featured games that you may remember were:

• Space Invaders
• Pitfall
• Chopper Command
• Asteroids
• Megamania

Seeing my dad unwrap his Christmas gift, took me back into the year 1983. I was a boy of 12 years old and the arcades made their appearance in my own living room. It was a trip into the past and surprised me with two things!!!

The first thing that surprised me was my memory. I still remembered all the details of the games that were featured in the console. I remembered the simplicity of the colours, the pew pew of the 8-bit sound effects, the feel of the 1-button Joystick, and how my muscles remembered the games that I played 35 years ago for hours and hours. After only a few minutes, my muscle memory kicked in, and I was able to replay some of the most exciting times in my youth 35 years ago.

The second thing that surprised me was the evolution of the game industry over the last 35 years. When I compare the Atari with my current PS4 game console, I noticed how much games have evolved over the years. From pixel graphics to 3D, 4K and Virtual Reality, the game industry has made a impressive leap forward. From the 8-bit sound, we now have 5.1 surround sound.

This is an amazing evolution and I wonder where we will be in another 35 years. I hope to be still around and experience games in the year 2053. Then I will have enjoyed 70 years of gaming.