My Father’s Personal Gaming History of California for the 1980s

My Father’s Personal Gaming History of California for the 1980s

I ask my father 3 questions about home gaming consoles in the 1980s in California.

My questions are in quotes.

My father’s answers are below each question.

Question #1: “In the 1980s, did you buy a gaming console for your house?”

My Father’s Answer: No.

Question #2: “Did you know anything about home gaming consoles in the 1980s?”

My Father’s Answer: Nothing.

Question #3: “Last question! Were gaming consoles popular in the stores you visited in the 1980s?”

My Father’s Answer: No. Nothing.

Conclusion: “Thank you for your time.”

My Observation: I believe my dad was giving honest answers about the gaming market in the 1980s. California was still experiencing scarcity during the 1980s. So, “videogames” were unknown to millions of Californians. The 1980s was a better time for music and movies. Videogames were often the “other things”. My father did visit the arcade in some restaurants to play Pac-Man and Galaga. But, when it comes to “home” gaming consoles, he did not hear much of anything from anybody. There was no YouTube. There was no internet. There was no eBay. For him, even something as simple as Space Invaders was very mythological. He just did not know much about video games. He only got to Pac-Man from college with Wendy his wife. He never heard the name “Intellivision” anywhere in the 1980s. “Atari” was almost an idea for him. His friends were not really gamers or players of video games. In fact, they would struggle with the most basic electronics on a daily basis. Even a radio clock was hard for some of his friends to figure out. He would just say, “The game costs 25 cents.” Any knowledge of money was very limited. I tell my father information about my discoveries for old gaming consoles from the 1980s. He is “surprised that these things even existed”. He did not know what Nintendo was. He did not know what Sega was. He could barely manage Apple’s retro computers. Super Mario was unknown to him. He really only knew just a handful of arcade machines in the restaurants during college. Anything about “home gaming consoles” was never in his 1980s fashion of everyday life. Maybe he heard something about Atari a little bit. But, for the most part, during the 1980s, a name like “Atari” would sound like an idea that never really existed. You might as well talk to my father about fairies and terminators; he wouldn’t know the difference. He just needed Apple’s retro computer technology for his work with the marketing industry. Asteroids and PONG were not realities for my father during the 1980s; if anything, even PONG was like a funny concept he never experienced much from. He often just wanted to go to a pizza restaurant and play some Pac-Man. He did not really hear of such a thing as “gaming console” during the 1980s. My father’s history is probably a rumor, or, a normal customer’s experience of the video game market in the 1980s. But, during the 1980s, this was his reality. I’m glad that he is at least honest about his 1980s living and lifestyle.

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