Contrary to my avatar, I'm a guy. When I was a snot-nosed youngster - personal computing was practically non-existent. In 1976 when I was in Grade 1, Wozniak just managed to figure out his Apple 1. It would be 1977 before the Apple II was released and even then it was so expensive that my parents wouldn't bother buying one. I'd be eyeing the Commodore 1530 at our school, thinking, "Man...that's a computer..." I remember my dad scoffing that video games were a waste of time and that time could be better used studying. Asian families for ya... If you're not a Dr. Doogie Howser by the time you're 16... you're an abysmal failure. So no Atari VCS for me. And of course that was the same year that they brought out the TRS "Trash" 80 (nope...didn't get that...and no PET (Commodore) either).
About the only thing that I'd get to do every ONCE in a blue moon was to play an arcade console that was scattered around places like the laundromat or in threes at the shopping mall. And we played Asteroids...or the very basic line-graphics Star Wars Trench Run.
And frankly...some of the best Asteroids players I've seen were women.
My games growing up were Asteroids, Pong, Zaxxon, SW Trench Run and believe me...that's definitely dating myself.
