Remembering video games
Video games were interactive digital experiences whereby we used an input device such as a gamepad or keyboard to control a character, making them collect rings, jump on mushrooms or shoot people then run them over in their own car. As a child I was not good at video games. Even the most basic mechanisms and objectives were beyond me, and in most cases I could not complete the tutorial, let alone the first level. Before Google, the instruction manuals for most games included a phone number one could call to ask for tips when stuck at a certain point in a game. The first time I called one of these numbers, the operator suggested I try moving Sonic the Hedgehog to the right instead of the left.
Further emphasising my inadequacy was my brother’s gaming prowess – he was able to complete levels and beat bosses with ease. Multiplayer games were an endless cycle of defeat for me. Eventually he even permitted me to play as Oddjob, the shortest and hardest character to aim at in Goldeneye 64, …
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