Good Games Never Die

I am sure that our generation spent more time in front of electronic gadgets and playing games which required batteries or electricity than our parents did. And I am certain that my children are playing many more games on the computer and other handheld devices than I ever have (or will).

There was a time that these games were not readily available in the homes. We got these treats when we went out. At Shakey's we were able to play Night Driver, at Baguio Country Club there were pinball machines and PacMan, in Cubao (was it at Fiesta Carnival or at Ali Mall?) there were lots more arcade games.

At a certain point in time, computers became part of some households and simple games were introduced. We began with simple games like

Pong

and Space Invaders.

My all-time favorites would also include

Frogger

and of course the addictive

Lode Runner

Spy's Demise

Tetris

and Burger Time

There were more games that followed, both in the PC and battery operated games. We were lucky enough to have Game and Watch to keep us busy.

I think we had Toss, Fire, Vermin, Octopus and one or two more. We spent hours pushing those buttons trying our best to get high scores. Am sure the beeping drove my parents mad, not to mention the strain on our eyes caused by those little screens. On a positive note, perhaps it improved our hand-and-eye coordination a little bit.

As the years passed, the games became more "complicated" and "exciting."

I mean, "Sabrina dies at dawn!" for heaven's sake. That would be reason enough to play game the interactive game Transylvania, of course.

I remember it was the first time I'd heard of the term "hermetically sealed" and I think I had to look up 'elixir' to be sure it was worth picking up. I swear I played the game so much that I would have been able to draw a map to navigate through the various places within the game. (Come to think of it, I might have actually done that.)

Hhmmm ... those were the days.

Well what do you know? History repeats itself.

Although the kids are playing these often times violent, very high-tech memory hungry games with superior graphics and all, by some interesting quirk in nature, GI (and his siblings) are now hooked on Tetris. And when I say hooked, I mean HOOKED!

Since it is still officially summer, I am not at his back, but GI can often be seen multi-tasking watching something on his PC while playing Tetris on his PSP. Case in point on his being addicted to the game: he played Tetris all throughout the movie UP at the Overflow.

I know that after several series of Lode Runner games, I would imagine little men running across and in between words of a book I was reading. When this started happening, I knew for sure that I had been playing too much computer games. With all the hours GI spends getting his high score, I wouldn't be surprised if he starts looking as buildings as being parts of oddly shaped pieces. When he tells me that he has started dreaming about these falling tetrominoes, I will give him a knowing smile which will say, "You are playing too much Tetris, Mister."

In closing, I can say that good games never die, apparently they just get passed on to the next generation and are considered as classics.