Before Video Games Took Over, There Was Pinball
I’m from the generation that was just a little too old to grow up with video games the way kids do today. As I remember it, video games started becoming popular when I was approaching my teens, which put my younger brother, six years behind me, right in the middle of it.
It is funny how certain childhood memories stay with us. I wrote about that in this post, reflecting on the ordinary moments of growing up that we never realized would become memories.
For me, it was pinball that I remember best. If we went to the beach or the mall, and there was an arcade, that was where you wanted to be. The flashing lights, bells, bumpers, and the sound of that metal ball bouncing around were part of the experience. You could stand there playing for hours, or at least until your supply of quarters ran out.
I do remember getting a home video game system of my own. It was Pong, one of those early systems that brought the arcade experience into the living room. The game was about as basic as you could get. You had paddles on either side of the screen and a little square that bounced back and forth. You moved your paddle up and down, trying to get the ball past your opponent. If you were clever, you could bounce it off the top or bottom of the screen to make it harder to return.
That was my introduction to home video games. It was fun for a while, but let’s be honest, there wasn’t a whole lot to it. Eventually, the novelty wore off, and I moved on to other things.
A few years later, my younger brother got a ColecoVision. Now that was something different. Released in 1982, it brought much more recognizable arcade-style games into the home. Instead of just a ball bouncing between two paddles, you had actual characters, obstacles, and games that looked a lot more like what you saw at the arcade. One of its big attractions was Donkey Kong, which came with the system. Compared with my old Pong machine, it seemed like quite a leap forward.
Looking back, it is remarkable how quickly things changed. What started with a simple bouncing ball developed into an entire entertainment industry. Today, the graphics, realism, and complexity of video games are incredible. Both of my sons love them, and I can appreciate how far the technology has come, even if I don’t share their enthusiasm.
I suppose we all have our own generational memories. For me, it was pinball machines at the beach or the mall, trying to keep that little silver ball in play for as long as possible. There was something satisfying about the noise, the lights, and the challenge of beating your own score.
Even today, I would be more inclined to spend a few quarters on a pinball machine than sit down with a modern video game. Maybe that makes me a product of my generation, or maybe I just found my kind of game early on.
Either way, I’ll take pinball over Pong, and pinball over most of today’s video games. Some things don’t need improving, at least not for me.
What about you? Did you grow up with pinball, Pong, Atari, or one of the later gaming systems? I’d be interested to hear which games bring back memories of your younger days.
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