I went on a nostalgia trip today… dragged the old 8-bit computer out of the cupboard and played a few Donkey Kong variants. Found an old magazine in a box extolling the virtues of owning an Atari 2600. Ah, those were the days… the graphics were crap, the sound was crap, the gameplay was… hmmm… but boy, was it fun.
I can just imagine showing one of those things to today’s Nintendo super Sega Megadrive generation. And watching their facial expressions saying "what the hell is this?!"
Yes, I confess, I was once envious of friends who had Pong. I do remember how to put an Apple ][ into graphics mode. And I have a Beeb that still works. You know, despite the seventies revival, I haven’t spotted anyone playing Break-out lately. But elsewhere in the computer industry, the seventies never really went away. Look at all the poor sods still programming in COBOL. They probably think it’s an example of "when you’re onto a good thing, stick to it". Problem is… it isn’t. Which is why in Uni we knew it was Crappy Old Bloody ‘Orrible Language.
