Flack
05-08-2007, 06:13 PM
I would never be the videogaming, computer-loving nerd I am today if it hadn’t been for my father. My dad was the original technogeek of my world. Almost without fail our family was the first within our neighborhood and circle of friends to adopt the newest electronic gadgets; we owned a home computer (a TRS-80), a VCR (complete with a black and white video camera), and multiple videogame consoles (including the Odyssey II, the Atari 2600, and a dedicated Pong system) long before most people had even heard of such wonders.
My dad used to get downright giddy whenever a new technological toy was about to hit the market, and hype had been building around the home release of Space Invaders for over a month. For the first time ever, we, as owners of an Atari 2600, would be able to play the arcade version of Space Invaders in our very own living room!
In one of the only times I ever remember this occurring, my dad agreed to let me stay home from school the day Space Invaders for the Atari was released. In retrospect, I’m sure my mom had no idea the two of us had worked out this deal. After mom went to work, dad and I went to Toys R’ Us to pick up a copy of Space Invaders. Luckily, there were still a few copies left by the time we arrived.
The ride home seemed infinitely long. I studied the box’s cover artwork intently, soaking in every detail. The UFOs, the mountains … the excitement built until I could hardly stand it! I ripped open the box and held the cartridge in my hand, ready to slam into our Atari the minute I entered our house. The second my dad put his truck into park I flung the door open and ran inside, ready to defend the Earth from a bunch of stinkin’ Space Invaders!
But wait a minute – this didn’t look like the Space Invaders I knew! Why were the aliens on the side, aligned in a triangle formation? And why were they dots? And why did my ship look like a guy? And why did the scoring system look a lot like … hey wait a second, this was BOWLING, not SPACE INVADERS!
I pulled the game back out of the system. The label READ Space Invaders, but it was clearly bowling. As my dad entered the living room he saw my lower lip begin to quiver. Dad spent the next half hour calling various toy stores, but everyone was sold out, with no new shipments expected for an entire week. While every other Atari 2600 owner spent the next week saving the galaxy from hordes of evil invaders, I got stuck with a gutterball.
My dad used to get downright giddy whenever a new technological toy was about to hit the market, and hype had been building around the home release of Space Invaders for over a month. For the first time ever, we, as owners of an Atari 2600, would be able to play the arcade version of Space Invaders in our very own living room!
In one of the only times I ever remember this occurring, my dad agreed to let me stay home from school the day Space Invaders for the Atari was released. In retrospect, I’m sure my mom had no idea the two of us had worked out this deal. After mom went to work, dad and I went to Toys R’ Us to pick up a copy of Space Invaders. Luckily, there were still a few copies left by the time we arrived.
The ride home seemed infinitely long. I studied the box’s cover artwork intently, soaking in every detail. The UFOs, the mountains … the excitement built until I could hardly stand it! I ripped open the box and held the cartridge in my hand, ready to slam into our Atari the minute I entered our house. The second my dad put his truck into park I flung the door open and ran inside, ready to defend the Earth from a bunch of stinkin’ Space Invaders!
But wait a minute – this didn’t look like the Space Invaders I knew! Why were the aliens on the side, aligned in a triangle formation? And why were they dots? And why did my ship look like a guy? And why did the scoring system look a lot like … hey wait a second, this was BOWLING, not SPACE INVADERS!
I pulled the game back out of the system. The label READ Space Invaders, but it was clearly bowling. As my dad entered the living room he saw my lower lip begin to quiver. Dad spent the next half hour calling various toy stores, but everyone was sold out, with no new shipments expected for an entire week. While every other Atari 2600 owner spent the next week saving the galaxy from hordes of evil invaders, I got stuck with a gutterball.