Would You Like To Play A Game?

I was approached by a representative of Man Crates (a company that ships awesome gifts for men in cool wooden crates, with a crowbar!!) to write about how my love for gaming began. At first I thought I'd go back and reminisce about midi music and ANSI graphics on the local bulletin board system, but there is really no going back to that. Instead, I will take you back to the first console that I ever played on, the Atari 2600.

The latest thing!

My dad, like many dads in this world, liked to try out new gadgets. By the time my Dad brought this home, it had been out for at least 5 years. Still, it was new to us! As the oldest, I got to try it first. I sat down on the mottled brown carpet in front of the entertainment center, opened the game storage container and looked for a game. I wanted an adventure, not a shooting game, so I chose Pitfall.

Alligators, Snakes, and Scorpions!

Pitfall doesn't start out with that many obstacles. Just like most games start you off slow, this one did, too. Still, trying to move with the stick and jump to catch a swinging vine at the same time was nerve wracking for me. My sister took a turn and was able to jump from alligator nose to nose, while I was still stumped at the disappearing and reappearing quicksand trap. I held that controller stick tightly and slammed it to the right to go forward, thinking it would help my character go faster. I broke the controllers so many times, I was eventually banned from playing. To this day I have no clue if this game has an ending, or if there are more than two levels to Missile Command, or even what happens when you kill all the segments of a Centipede. 

Dad, I'm sorry I was so hard on the controllers. Can I play now? I have proven myself to be a responsible gamer, haven't I? My keyboard and mouse have been around for more than a few years now, and my Playstation and Wii remotes all are original equipment! Wait, you say you don't have our old Atari anymore? Maybe there is still a way. Man Crates has retro gaming crates with Nintendo consoles, why not make one with the an Atari?

No Cartridge Needed!

Flashback systems are all the way to version 5 now, with 90+ games on them, but only this one had Pitfall. I'm sure there are lots of games on even the newer versions that will transport some of you back in time to that slumber party with friends, Atari, and food. 

Food! These games were always better when I was over caffeinated, sugared, and covered in chip crumbs. What kind of things would I want in my very own retro gaming crate? I loved Doritos Cool Ranch Chips, but you can get those anywhere. Crush Grape Soda, Pixie Sticks, Lemon Heads and Mike and Ikes are all still pretty mainstream. Now that I am all grown up, I still want the things I love, but with a twist!

Yum!

Why drink a regular cola when you can have something like this? The colors are fun, the flavor delicious. I would love it if there was a variety 4 or 6 pack in the crate.

Chips!

They don't have to be bacon flavored. They could be jalapeno, or sriracha, or pretty much any flavor you can think of. Just be sure they are thick ,crunchy, salty, and a little greasy. Oh, and make it two bags or I won't share.

Jelly Bellies!

Of all the candy I ate as a kid, Jelly Bellies are still a favorite. A pound or two of these in a crate would be awesome.

They're entering the atmosphere, it's all over!

How many of you played games on a Saturday morning in your pajamas? Why not do it again? Put some 8 bit lounge pants in that crate with Space Invaders, Pac Man or Frogger printed on them. If not that, how about this hoodie?

I think this crate would only be complete for me with a small toolkit to repair the controllers if I break them. Men like tools. I think this should be a thing. Would this be enough? 

Probably won't fix the controller.

So, Man Crates, I want to purchase an Atari Nostalgia game crate for my husband's birthday. I'm sure you'll do it better than I could (he likes Red Vines, Sweet Tarts, jalapeno chips, Mountain Dew and Dr. Pepper). You have until October. I'll be looking for it!