How old are the "retro" gamers here? Or how old is everyone, really?

[Zing]

I remember when Double Dragon and Super Mario 2 were impossible to find.

I had talked to someone at Toys R Us and they informed me a shipment of Double Dragon was arriving that Thursday. I called Thursday morning at 11 to confirm the shipment came in. It had; all three copies. They were sold within minutes, so my search continued.

I never did get Double Dragon. Super Mario 2 was another that I didn't get until long after it had been released, due to the shortage. "Fortunately", my friend had borrowed Bases Loaded from me, and proceeded to allow someone else to borrow it. After a few weeks with no sight of my game, I decided to take his Super Mario 2 in exchange. He wasn't happy about it, but I gave him no choice.

I'm 37 and started gaming in the arcade and on the 2600. I was playing the neighbour's and my uncle's 2600 when I was three and four years of age. My first personal gaming system was the Coleco Vision at age six.

[Gunstar Hero]

I'm 24 (in fact, today is my birthday!). I started retro gaming around the time I started college.

Happy birthday then!

[Alpha2099]

Happy birthday then!

Many thanks.

[T.A.P.]

I turn 26 in a few hours.

I've been playing this crap my whole life.

[Pantechnicon]

43 years old here. Been playing since 1981 and the Atari 2600 era, and clearly I don't post much here anymore either (so many unknown names....)

[Captain_N77]

35 and gonna be 36 at the end of the year. It's funny, in my heart I don't feel this old, but the bod sure is starting to feel it haha.

The Atari 2600 was my first love, but Nintendo made me a man...or a manchild at least. I'll never stop gaming.

[Neb6]

You've asked a good question and one that really helps to reveal lots of different experiences and memories from a variety of people.

I'm 41 and often mistaken for a 27-year-old (with the mind of a 10-year-old as soon as the topic of video games comes up).

It all started with a trip to the arcade with my older brother and a game called Tail Gunner.

The arcades of the late 1970s and early 1980s were absolutely insane and -- it seems -- impossible to describe to those who didn't see them. They weren't like the modern arcades. Maybe someday someone will find a way to communicate the raw energy and level of discovery in those places. Parents generally hated the old arcades.

Next was the ColecoVision. The closest comparison that I can think of was the lead that the Neo Geo had when it came out. Powerful for its time, offering tons of add-ons and controllers to choose from.

I messed around on a friend's Apple II a lot and eventually got a 6809-based TRS-80 (graphically underpowered but fun).

Then on to the PC and followed by the Amiga in my quest for the arcade experience at home. That led to running out and adding a 1982 TRON arcade machine to my collection (a childhood dream).

The SEGA Genesis was there because of Mortal Kombat. Later, I did some video game development on the N64. As some of you mentioned, crazy things were happening in the 1990s with so many consoles appearing on the market.

I recall the struggles with various platforms trying to do 3D well. IMHO the Dreamcast was the first to do a really good job of it.

Recently I've re-discovered the Vectrex, NES, Master System, SNES, TG-16, Neo Geo, and the Sega Saturn. That's when I really could see that the SNES and TG-16 are remarkable machines with exactly the specs needed for solid 2D gaming.

To summarize, I play every generation of games and find something great in each 'era'. However, the 8-bit arcade machines have been and still are my favorites. The good ones are elegant, inventive, and have great replay value.

For gamers of any age, go ahead and share your video gaming highlights. It helps everyone since there are only so many years in a lifetime and your top 10 or top 20 lists are a great way for people to jump in and experience some of the best games from a time you remember well. Otherwise, for a person just getting introduced to a particular decade in gaming, it can be a bit overwhelming. There were already thousands of video games by 1985 and not all of them were good. However, hundreds of them were great.

[Aussie2B]

Later, I did some video game development on the N64.

What was it you worked on, if you don't mind sharing?

[MetalFRO]

Turned 36 just a few months back. My first gaming experience was either my uncle's 2600 (magical!) playing Pac-Man and Combat, or possibly a Sears-branded Breakout-clone system my dad bought (6 D batteries!) when I was a little kid. I cut my teeth on the neighborhood NES consoles, and other than the family computer, my first gaming system owned was a Game Boy. The Genesis cemented my love of gaming, and then after college and marriage, the PSX and later Saturn helped bring me back from a longtime gaming drought outside of emulation. I've been seriously collecting for about 12-13 years, and have now built a modest, but nice collection. I currently own an Atari 2600, NES (CIB), SNES, Genesis (model 1 DIB & 2 deck), Sega CD model 1, JVC X'Eye, Sega Nomad, Atari Jaguar (CIB), Game Boy, Game Boy Color, GBA SP, N64, Gamecube, Wii, Saturn, Dreamcast, Panasonic 3DO (FZ-10), TurboGrafx 16 w/ TurboBooster, PlayStation (Dual-shock model), PSOne (mini version), PS2 (fat and slim), PS3 (super slim), 2 Xbox consoles (1 w/ bad DVD drive), and my lovely PSP 2001. Though I've been spending more time on my PS3 of late, to help justify the cost of finally purchasing one back in January, I do still play and enjoy my retro stuff whenever I have time, though with work and life in general, it's hard to always get time to do so

[Neb6]

What was it you worked on, if you don't mind sharing?

It was 3D work for a game on the N64 called Tetrisphere.

Ironically, I suck at that style of game. I'm much better at FPS and top-down shooters (and late 70s/early 80s arcade games).

I should mention that the musician (Neil Voss) on that project was amazing at using Trackers to put together songs. He had an entire set of music for it that never got used. Rather unfortunate since the tracks he wanted to use were pretty amazing. Oh well, that's design by committee for you.

[Gatucaman]

Generic kid born in the mid 80s, got to start playin in the 90s, i am 27.

[Lictalon]

36, and getting old and crochety.

[StarMan_NES]

Damn, some of the people here are in their late 30's or early 40's and are still loving and appreciating classic video games as much as they did when they were young whippersnappers. This, in itself, brings a tear to my eyes.

I'm going to be 33 in October and grew up on Atari 2600 and NES, which of course led to Genesis and SNES. Which eventually led to Playstation and N64, which led to......

Well, I'm sure you get the point.

[digitalpress]

Happy to skew the age bracket by being 48. I'm often confused for 47, it's just good genes.

"Retro" is such a broad term. In this day and age, anyone who played on a PlayStation 1 is probably considered "retro". My only real distinction on the timeline is that I was already a teenager when videogames first appeared. My pal Kevin and I were big "gamers", but prior to 1978 that was pretty much relegated to board and card games. It was a welcome change and very clear beacon to us when electronic gaming hit its stride.

[cracked8ball]

I am 30 years old. First gaming experience was on the Commodore 64 when I was 3. Like many others though, my love of games didn't really take off until I got my NES.

[Gamevet]

The arcades of the late 1970s and early 1980s were absolutely insane and -- it seems -- impossible to describe to those who didn't see them. They weren't like the modern arcades. Maybe someday someone will find a way to communicate the raw energy and level of discovery in those places. Parents generally hated the old arcades.

I hear you! I'm 45, and pretty much witnessed the arcade boom of the 80s'. I had played games like Key Games Tank in the 70s', but it wasn't until Space Invaders arrived that the video arcade games exploded onto the scene. I'd seen music stores and restaurants being converted to arcades within months after the craze hit. It's really hard to explain how big of a phenomenon the event was, to someone that grew up with 90s' arcades. It seemed like every week there was a new arcade game to play and there was always a reason to visit the local arcade. It was a very social environment, that brought gamers of all ages and genders in to play.

[Tron 2.0]

Damn, some of the people here are in their late 30's or early 40's and are still loving and appreciating classic video games as much as they did when they were young whippersnappers. This, in itself, brings a tear to my eyes.

I'm going to be 33 in October and grew up on Atari 2600 and NES, which of course led to Genesis and SNES. Which eventually led to Playstation and N64, which led to......

Well, I'm sure you get the point.

Pretty much,i'm in my early 40's now and i still enjoy this form of entertainment.I haven't had any body tell me yet that i am to old for it or other nonsense.

[jefis]

24 here

[Neb6]

I hear you! I'm 45, and pretty much witnessed the arcade boom of the 80s'. I had played games like Key Games Tank in the 70s', but it wasn't until Space Invaders arrived that the video arcade games exploded onto the scene. I'd seen music stores and restaurants being converted to arcades within months after the craze hit. It's really hard to explain how big of a phenomenon the event was, to someone that grew up with 90s' arcades. It seemed like every week there was a new arcade game to play and there was always a reason to visit the local arcade. It was a very social environment, that brought gamers of all ages and genders in to play.

Yeah, it was pretty awesome wasn't it? The combination of amazing music, movies, book stores, video games, and food was pretty much a sensory overload. That and the emphasis on cool lighting (I'm so glad color-changing LEDs are bringing that aesthetic back).

Oh, and I love the TRON image that you're using for your avatar. Yet another mind-blowing experience from 1982. For anyone younger than 30 who wants a nice blast of the good 80s, try googling movies and video games of 1982.

[Querjek]

24 as of 33 days ago.

I feel like my age doesn't match that I've been on this forum for nearly ten years. Eh, whatever.