GamerNode: Columns - An Introduction to OLD SKOOL and Two Very Scary Scenes from Gaming's Past (Ahhhhhhh!)

An Introduction to OLD SKOOL and Two Very Scary Scenes from Gaming's Past (Ahhhhhhh!)

Welcome to OLD SKOOL! 

Hello, my name is George, and here at the OLD SKOOL column I am going to take you on a journey through gaming's past.  Each article will be a combination of videogame review, homage to the greatness of the "Old," and part personal story.  I not only want to break down the nuts and bolts of each game, but I want to tell my own personal story through gaming in hope to touch the other gamers out there who have grown up with video games from their earliest years.   

I Welcome discussion

It is my intention to elicit discussion.  Although many reviewers out there love to break down their vide games into categories in an effort to make their reviews appear rational I truly believe that much of gaming comes down to personal taste.  I do not consider my opinions the end all of gaming, however it is my hope that I can bring a perspective that is unique to the gaming community.  I welcome anyone to share their own views as it my hope to create an open and active dialogue on all topics discussed. 

Who am I? Just call me Captain ‘N' 

Alright, I'm not really that conceited when it comes to my gaming and I have certainly gotten my ass kicked an infinite amount of times by human and non-human entities, but I like to imagine that at least at one time in my life I was knowledgeable and a fucking beast at gaming.  Whether I actually ever was is still up for debate.  With that being said, I want to introduce myself a little so that you can better understand my perspective. 

Video games were introduced to me virtually from the time I was born.  I have vague memories of a sometimes-working Atari sitting around my house when I was no older than three.  Around that same time, whenever I was being babysat by my cousins I would watch them play ColecoVision with its mentally scarring music and images.* (See Space Fury) By the time I was four I already had begged my mom and dad for my first Nintendo and somewhere in that time frame I was very effectively marketed for Nintendo Power.  In my piles of junk lying in a galaxy far away there lies the a very haggard first issue with the little clay model of Mario and his mushrooms on the cover. 

The First Edition of Nintendo Power

(By the way i just saw this going for $34 on eBay! If I only took care of things... :(

After that I became engrossed in everything Nintendo and I found an appreciation for both the mainstream and the obscure games.  Along my way I dabbled in the world of Sega and tried to make a second home in arcades.  At my local arcade I was affectionately called "shorty" by all the twenty-somethings whose asses I would routinely kick in Street Fighter II.  At this point I may have been about ten...maybe twelve.    

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