A Life of Gaming - Mike Rouse - Lift London

A Life of Gaming
by Mike Rouse - Studio Director at Lift London - Microsoft

1982, the first CD is sold in Japan, the first colour pictures of Venus are sent back from Vanera 13 and Time Magazine name THE COMPUTER as the man of the year. Gadgets and gizmos are starting to become common place, VHS players, Walkman, IBM PC, tape recorders, big CRT colour TVs and the video gaming revolution is in full flow. My dad has quit his job at IBM in the UK as a programmer and has moved to South Africa to work for AngloAmerica. He’s in his late 20’s and is the original gadget collector. He’s also a casual gamer, playing ASCII pinball on his IBM and an old console that had a PING PONG (Magnavox Odyssey). 

I’m five and although I play on both the IBM and Odyssey from time to time I’m not really into games,  I live in a warm country so I’m out and about on my BMX and playing with my younger brother and my friends. But its 1982, the year EA, Ultimate Play the Game (Rare) and MicroProse are formed. This is the year when Shigeru Miyamoto’s Donkey Kong Jr. is released, Q*Bert, Ms. Pac-Man, Dig Dug, Utopia (the first sim game), Joust, Robotron: 2084, Tron Arcade (released before the film), Pole Position, Zaxxon, Xevious and the fabled E.T the Extra-Terrestrial (one of the biggest failures in the history of video games) are released to gaming audiences at home and in the arcades. It’s also the year when one of the biggest film licenses in the world has its first game release, Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back on the Intellivision and Atari 2600.

This was a must have game for my dad, so not long after the games release my dad brought home a brand new Intellivision and a copy of Star Wars. This console and game changed everything for me. The graphics were amazing and so was the sound, the console was so easy and convenient to use and it was cartridge based. Over the next five years our game collection grew, and I played as often as I was allowed to. I loved playing B-17 Bomber with the Intellivoice, Night Stalker and Lock ‘N Chase as well as a host of other games. The Intellivision formed the majority of my gaming experiences, until sometime in 1987 when our local shopping store got in 2 arcade machines. One I think was Pac-Man the other was Double Dragon. I can remember going every day after school to the store to play Double Dragon. I was hooked, consoles no longer held any appeal, I started to hang-out at the arcades and spent all my pocket money on arcade machines. I played a ton of games in the arcades and have so many favorites, allot from the 90s. One that kept me in the arcade for hours was Street Fighter II it was also the game that brought me back to consoles.

I moved back to the UK when I was 12 in 1989, still getting the majority of my gaming from the arcades. I had the NES and Master System by this point, both had great games but there was still nothing like what I could get in the arcades. Then in early 1994 I got a copy of Street Fighter II: Champion Edition for my Megadrive. Here was a game that was able to replicate my arcade experiences with the added convenience of it being in my house. I had fallen in love with consoles again. As I started to replace visits to the arcades with more hours on consoles I began looking for new and better experiences across multiple platforms and this was the beginning of my games collection.

I have a modest collection which could have been quite alot bigger if I did not sell a large portion of it in 1999 to pay for food and maybe a little drink while at University. I always kick myself as I think back to the games and consoles I sold during that period. Snatcher, Suikoden, Panasonic 3DO and all the games, original Game Boy, 100+ boxed SNES games and the list goes on. It used to be that trying to buy back these lost treasures was restricted to Ebay and a very few online retailers, but there seems to be a renaissance in classic and retro gaming. Similar to vinyl records which have seen their highest sales this year since 1997, the popularity and the distribution channels for classic and retro gaming are growing. A small number of boutique stores have sprung up and dedicated online specialists have started to appear. I love browsing through a store’s inventory of old SNES games and online specialist offer the choice and subject expertise that Ebay can’t. The revival of these bricks & mortor and online specialists have become a great source for my gaming collection.

My collection currently consists of 784 complete boxed games, 310 digital games on PSN, Live, and Steam, iOS, Nintendo eShop and Windows. I have a custom built MAME cab with coin-op, custom art work, Sanwa Bat top sticks, Ultralux lit buttons, 2.1 speakers and custom lit marquee. There’s probably a couple of thousand games on there, allot them obscure Japanese beat ‘em ups. I also have 44 consoles, everything from a 2600 to a Vectrex to a Mega CD mk1 (my favourite console) and nearly every major console released from 1990 to the very latest next gen. I have a ton of peripherals and special edition peripherals like the JogCon which came with the Ridge Racer Type 4. And I have allot gaming paraphernalia and merchandise. The collection is steadily growing, every week I get something new. Just this week I bought Rings of Power for the Megadrive. This game was Naughty Dogs first console game. My passion for gaming goes beyond my collection and my hobby, it is also my Job. I’ve been creating games for 14 years now starting off as a junior 3D artist and now as a studio director. I’ve worked for both Sony and Microsoft. Working in the games industry has allowed me build a truly unique games collection.

My collection does have the same games as most other game collections, some rarer than others but I also have truly unique games and paraphernalia. Working in games has allowed me to meet and work with my heroes. I’ve had the opportunity to meet and demo my game to

Shigeru Miyamoto who has signed my 1^st run copy of The legend of Zelda for the NES. I’ve worked with and discussed the finer points of games design with Keiji Inafune co-creator of Rockman (Megaman in the west). Inafune-san was also kind enough to sign a custom piece of artwork from one of his games. I have a ton of signed games from colleagues that have worked on some classic games. Friends have donated games that were never released, some are sequels or spin offs from some of the biggest franchises in gaming history. There are the games I’ve made, TIF, The Getaway, Black Monday, Singstar, Dancestar, Wonderbook all signed by the teams and a ton of promotional and unique merchandise to go along with them. There are gold and platinum plaques for those that sold millions of copies. I co-created PlayStation Home and on the launch of the social gaming service we commissioned a special artwork plaque created by Michael Place. Michael is one of my favorite artists, I became a fan after seeing his artwork in the original WipEout on PlayStation. There are limited edition press packs, toys and figures that will never be released. I’ve not only collected but have been part of gaming history. In 2007 at E3 Sony hosted for the first time ever their conference in a virtual world, PlayStation Home. I was behind the stage with 9 massive PS3 dev kits controlling and directing the virtual show live. It was also fantastic seeing the PlayStation trophy system go live on every PS3 in the world, having created the high level direction. And now my studio is about to make gaming history again, with an original and new universe of characters and stories.

There are people I know that don’t share and don’t understand my love for games. These people won’t know the great nostalgic feeling you get from playing classic and retro games, the complete immersion of new worlds and stories games give us. Our game collections contain some of the most compelling stories every written, the most emotional music ever composed, the most thought provoking artwork ever created and amazing universes for us to visit and play in. 

As we study our anthropology there is no doubt in my mind that gaming is now a part of this. It is ingrained in popular modern culture and as it goes in popularity so will those that want to capture its past.  

A Guest Blog Review by Mike Rouse
Studio Director - Lift London
www.liftlondon.com/

Retrovision 2013.

Retrovision- Power UP!

"GamesYouLoved spoke to the guys who run a great retrogaming event 
Retrovision .We asked them about the experience and what inspires them in the world of gaming. We found out about their great track record of running retro events and the scene and many thoughts on what it takes to make a great event"


Retrovision is coming soon - 
Oxford 2013
Friday 20th to Sunday 22nd September. 
Folly Bridge Inn, Oxford. 

What inspired you to get involved and organise this event? 

The event is a slight play on words and the evolution of Retrovision which was the first UK retro gaming event to take place in 2002 and was organised by Markie from the YakYak forums as a celebration of Jeff Minters Llamasoft. Over the years the event has evolved to become a general celebration of all retro gaming, homebrew gaming, modern gaming and cosplay. After Markie decided to take a break from running Retrovision, Amy (Pinkfearie) who runs a charity auction at the event asked me if I would help her co-organise another event and I agreed. We then contacted Psychorob who has been an important part of Retrovision for many years and the rest of the team who helped run the last Retrovision in 2012 and they all agreed to be involved with the event. I am just a small part of the fantastic team which makes everything happen and special. It seemed such a shame to let a good thing which so many people enjoy end, so it had to happen again!

What sort of gamers come to events like this? 

The event attracts locals, regulars and newcomers. The event is unique that it is not heavily promoted locally to the general public, but only promoted on relevant forums (including YakYak, Retrogamer and Stairway to Hell), websites (such as this one), facebook, twitter and at other retro gaming events. Although some people bring their children along during the day, with it being held in a pub it is not really a family gaming event, and is more of an adults gaming event. A number of organisers from other events also normally attend as it gives them a chance to enjoy an event instead of worrying about having to run their own event. Despite having Retro in the event name it is also not just about Retro, and often has XBox 360, PS3s and Wiis running various unique games. Past more recent games have included Taiko Drum Master, Hampster Ball, Space Giraffe and Galaga Legions DX and even a radio controlled flight simulator on the PC.


Is it a really good social experience as well as gaming? 

Some people who go do not even play on the games, and just come along to meet up with friends. The Pub is kept free of computers and separate from the gaming which is upstairs, which also makes it nice to have a break from the gaming during the event. There is also a trip to a local curry house where everyone takes their Nintendo DSs along and use Pictochat while waiting for the food to arrive. There is also 5 gaming competitions held at the event, which adds to the social and competitive aspect and gives people a good reason to play some of the games. Some of the visitors who create homebrew games also bring them along for others to play and get other peoples opinion on them. Past games have included the BBC Micro homebrew game called "Mixed Grill March" which was created especially for the event by starshipcommand and is loosely based on the Wii game "Muscle March" and the PC homebrew game "Markies Revenge" which was created by Beerman.

How far do people travel to get to events like this? 

In the past people have flown in from Europe including PFVA from Portugal and limbclock from Finland just to visit Retrovision for the weekend, but people travel from all over the UK such as Bane who travels from Scotland, Psychorob who travels from Devon and Amy who travels from Doncaster. I myself live in Chelmsford which is a few hours from Oxford. - Whats a good cosplay costume - in your opinion?! Someone who has spent time and thought into making it. It does not have to be perfect, as long as you can make out who it is suppose to be, and the effort has been put in. There seems to be a lot more smaller local cosplay events happening and having retro gaming at the cosplay events is a perfect combination.



How could the retro scene work together more? 

With the increase in the number of events there does seem to be more groups emerging and politics being involved. Somehow Retrovision has always avoided that and invites people from all retro gaming forums, and the atmosphere has always been special, enjoyable and relaxed. - is music part of the event - how does that work out? In the past SID80s (featuring Ben Daglish) have performed at the event in various line ups and while enjoyable this does add greatly to the costs and increases ticket prices as a result. We are not planning any live music this year. During the event we just let sounds from the gaming systems fill the room and have also left retro tunes running through a stereo in the corner to add to the atmosphere. Friday and Saturday evenings will have Rock Band sessions on the XBox 360 and now they have discontinued releasing new tracks for Rock Band I am guessing it might now be considered Retro :-) We are also planning on creating a Podcast at the event on Sunday for the Retro Asylum Podcast.

Do you attend any other gaming or gaming related events - to help out or just for pleasure? 

I have attended many other retro gaming events as a visitor and to supply and help out. So far this year as a visitor I have been to Geek in Kent and Video Games Carnival in Aldershot. I supplied all the systems at NERG and had a large display at Silicon Dreams. I am also supplying TVs and systems for Retromania (being held by the Retro Asylum Podcast) in August, and am hoping to attend the UK Pinball Party in Daventry and CamCon in Cambridge, both events also in August which is quite a busy month. Just to conclude there is a small £10 ticket fee for the event for the entire weekend (Midday Friday to 5PM Sunday) which is used to cover the venue hire and other expenses, although the event is not being done for profit. Tickets can only be bought at the event with Cash.

What’s your take on the console market computing these days as opposed to the beginnings in the 80s and 90s? 

With only three console manufacturers on the market, there is not as much choice as there was and it seems most same-name XBox 360 and PS4 games are identical (apart from the few system exclusives) with the Wii bring in a league of its own.

I own a XBox 360, PS3 and Wii, but only use the PS3 on a regular basis, although one of my biggest frustrations is when I go to play a game I have not played for a while and it then wants to download gigabytes of updates before I can play it, and by the time it has downloaded and installed the updates you sometimes no longer want to play it. It seems more games are being released incomplete and unfinished, using the gamers as beta testers and then releasing updates to fix the bugs and issues which was never possible in the past with console gaming. I am concerned that the next generation of consoles (PS4, XBox 180) seem to be turning more into media devices rather than gaming devoted gaming consoles, and with the increased quality of the games taking more time to create that less games will be released in the future. I am finding myself purchasing less new games than I used to. There also seems to be a load of Android based gaming systems having been announced, but only the OUYA has been released so far, it will be interesting to see if it can find a niche in the current market. As 3D TV sales increase and the eighth generation of consoles are more powerful, it will also be interesting to see if the number of games being created in 3D increases. I would also really like to know what Sega would have released had it decided to stay in the Console market. The only two games I am currently looking forward to are GTA V on PS3 and Transport Tycoon on iOS. The game I am currently playing the most is "I am an Air Traffic Controller 3" on the PC. -

How have the consoles and arcades changed for you over the years? 

Growing up living in Southend I used to go to the arcades and mostly played driving games (Outrun, Hard Drivin', APB), and would also take the bus to Canvey Island which had a few arcades on its seafront. I visited Canvey Island and Southend Seafront a few years back and found it hard to find any classic arcade machines in any of the arcades as it is now almost all slot machines. I really lost interest in consoles during the Fifth Generation of systems, having owned a Master System 2, SNES, PS2 and Dreamcast before they were Retro. Things never stay the same forever so you have to enjoy the moment while you can.

What are the top 5 micros or consoles in your collection?

1. Atari 2600 (USA Sears Tele-Games) - I had a Atari 2600 growing up - a heavy sixer which I still own but is sadly no longer working. The graphics might not be the best, but the games (especially the two players games) are still extremely playable. I now own a modified Sears Tele-Games Light Sixer and the excellent Harmony Multicart. 2. Commodore 116 (Commodore Plus 4) - The Commodore Plus 4 is the computer I grew up with, so holds a special place in my heart. It had some really good games including some exclusives such as Kikstart C16 and The Magician Curse which were not released on other systems. Sadly I sold my original Plus 4 to raise funds towards the C64. The C116 is a rubber keyed mini Commodore Plus 4, but the one I own also has a 64k mod fitted so both 16k and 64k games can be played on it. 3. Commodore 64 - After the Commodore Plus 4, I had a Commodore 64 (the new case style one) from September 1991 until moving to PC in 1995. I still own this and now take it along to events. I think everyone has a special fondness for the systems they originally owned and used back in the day. 4. Sharp X68000 - One of my more recent purchases and already a big hit at the two shows it has appeared at, some of the games on the system are almost arcade quality. 5. Panasonic Q - The nicest looking retro console out there, any console collector really needs to own one of these as part of their collection. The gamecube also had a nice selection of games such as Warioware and Pac Man VS.
 


Have you ever been to overseas gaming? 

Not yet as there are so many events in the UK to enjoy, there has been no need to travel overseas to any events. However I would like to visit CGE in Las Vegas next year if it happens and work and funds allow it. I'd also love to go to Funspot (USA) at some point if the chance arises. RetroMission 2013 -

All proceeds from the Charity Auction will go towards the charities Cancer Research and Magic Moments for Autistic Kids. 

RetroMission 2013 - RV Has Evolved - Friday 20th to Sunday 22nd September. Folly Bridge Inn, Oxford. 

Info on the event via Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/361870973919223/ 

and the RetroGamer Forum: http://www.retrogamer.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=42173

Videos from Retrovision 2012:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2aZTNc56Dc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffSCfC7Wn8Y 

Photos from RetroVision 2012: 
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mayhemers/sets/72157629988248105/
http://www.yakyak.org/viewtopic.php?p=1541502#p1541502

Games....not Homework!

This article will serve as a confession of sorts. I’ve lived with the burden of what I’ve done for long enough, the time has arrived for me to come clean and be judged by my peers for my crime of true passion.

Let me start at the beginning; When I was in the first few years of middle school, games came on tape and were available from everywhere: Superdrug, newsagents, independent hardware stores as well as the places you’d expect to find them. They were so cheap and so prevalent that you could almost guarantee being treated to a new game each week. They were magical affairs too, showing limitless imagination - I’m talking really random messed up things. The cheaper the game, the more bizarre the concept. No-one had set the rules yet and anything went, when you loaded one of those babies, your patience was rewarded by being transported to a magical nether world which seemed more palpable than games do today even with their physics and graphics.

As you can tell I was satisfied - more than satisfied - I was enthralled!

Then, one day, I paid a visit to a friends house where I was transported to a higher astral plain altogether. This kid was blessed with an Amiga 500, an unbelievable piece of tech and surely proof of humans backward engineering alien technology. I wouldn't have been more blown away if I’d caught a glimpse of his mum getting out of the shower. I needed one to live.

I immediately hatched a scheme to ride my bike to his house each day and walk to school with him under the pretext that he lived much closer than I did. The real reason of course was to create the opportunity for a few stolen moments with my new infatuation.

It was clear that this charade couldn't continue forever, the sordid affair had to be resolved by me acquiring my own system: but how? We weren’t a wealthy family and a gift like this was unheard of for any occasion, so with good honest hard work clearly out of the question I did the only thing I could think of. I embarked upon a media campaign to make a Presidential election look pitiful. I hid notes throughout the house with pro-Amiga slogans such as ‘Amiga Rulz’, ‘Amiga Phorever’, ‘500 reasons to buy an Amiga’ & Wot no Amiga’. They were all up the stairs, in cupboards, wardrobes, coat pockets, shoes, everywhere and anywhere and I kept the momentum up for days and weeks until it became a big joke. The point came when people were surprised to open an ice cream tub and NOT find a note inside.


It was about this time when my school was most insistent on me learning my times tables. The problem was that I didn’t really feel like it. It was quite tedious and I couldn’t see the point in memorising a whole bunch of sums ahead of time on the off chance I might one-day need them. To this day I stand by my principles and still I haven’t learned them and I think I’ve managed to become a useful member of society, preferring instead to make calculations on an ad-hoc basis without having to recite a little song under my breath until I reach the right line.


With my failure to perform in this respect in mind, my father offered me a deal: Learn all twelve of the tables and he would buy me my coveted Amiga and all the trimmings.

This was a remarkable offer and about the best I was ever likely to get. If I wanted Dragon Ninga, Outrun, After Burner et al in the comfort of my room this was my only chance.

The problem was it was still too much like work and besides, I was principled. I’d already decided that to learn the times tables parrot-fashion was a fruitless exercise.

What I did instead was retire to my room early ‘to study’, played on the trusty speccy with the volume way low until I was tired then simply went to sleep slumped over my desk with all my maths revision books as a pillow and still in full school uniform.

My father would test my progress and hide his disappointment quite well when it was clear I’d learned nothing more than the 10 & 11 times tables I’d always known. I guess this went on for a week or two, before my father eventually took pity on me and clearly taking me for a hopeless dunce, drove me to Megaland in Southampton and bought me my prize. I even got the official Commodore stereo monitor. What a day! It came with The New Zealand Story and Deluxe Paint II along with Batman the Movie and FA18 - Interceptor.

I can’t imagine anything ever topping the sheer joy and excitement of that afternoon. I can only hope that my father would forgive me grifting him so mercilessly!


This great story by Andy Pryer.

Also Andy has a YouTube Channel Lizzzzardking

Play Expo - Exclusive Pre-Event Interview

Play Expo...what an event it will be!
We spoke to Andy Brown. Director at Replay Events Ltd, Owner of Console Passion Retro Games about the vision behind the Play Expo - EventCity, Manchester on 12-13 October 2013 , and his gaming passions and why gaming is so important to us all...


What are your roles Play Expo / Replay Events? 
Director, Event Coordinator and glorified stock room boy.

What's it like working for Play Expo / Replay Events? 
Last year I quit my job of 17 years to work full time on Replay Events so that should say something about it. Nothing beats getting up every day to do a job I love, I rarely feel like I'm actually working - I genuinely enjoy my working day. All-in-all I'd say I'm pretty lucky.



What motivates you to keep running events like Play Expo? 
Multiple reasons really. Each time we do an expo we are looking for ways to improve on what we did at the last show and that is a great motivator - to better our previous event. I get such a buzz at Play Expo; walking around and seeing thousands of people enjoy themselves makes me want to carry on doing this as long as I can. Plus I get to meet lots of video game celebrities.

What do you see for Play Expo in the future? 
I see the expo continuing to grow year-on-year. Each show we add new features, increase the number of systems on the show floor, have more exhibitors and as I just said generally improve on the previous year's expo. I personally would like to see more indie games and have some live link up Q&A sessions with industry legends from USA and Japan.

What is the best thing about your job at Play Expo / Replay Events? 
See previous answer - doing a job I love!

What video games and arcade games did you grow up with?
I grew up in Blackpool so I spent a lot of my childhood playing arcade games. We had huge amusements on the seafront and one of my fondest memories is playing Space Harrier Deluxe in Mr B's for the first time - £2 seemed like £200 in those days! I played anything and everything from Galaxian to Street Fighter and I’m lucky enough to own several arcade machines these days, Toobin and Operation Wolf being my two favourites. I’m on the lookout for an Outrun at the moment if anyone has one... I had home computers around me from an early age too. I was firmly in the Commodore camp from day one - I had a Vic 20, then C64 and Amiga so I played most of the well known titles on those machines but I was particularly partial to games containing a certain mole. We also flew the Sega flag in our house, my brother had a Master System and I had a Megadrive.

If you could be a videogame character who would it be? 
Miner Willy as that must have been some kick ass party he had in Jet Set Willy.


What is gaming all about for you?
Depends on the game/genre/generation. I like losing myself in modern games that have a good storyline - I am currently playing The Last of Us which is incredible. I also like the social aspect introduced by modern consoles - the Wii has some cracking multiplayer games which can really liven up a party. If I'm playing retro it's all about the nostalgia of that game. When I have a short gaming session it's invariably on a retro game that I played when I was a kid and I'm trying to beat my top score. Though I did accept a long time ago that I am actually pretty rubbish at games...

What’s your take on the console market and the arcade market these days as opposed to the beginnings in the 80s and 90s? 
Obviously very different, I think arcades are a thing of the past these days which is a shame as it's a very different experience to home gaming. I think the iOS and handheld markets of the past few years have brought about a whole new wave of creativity which we haven't seen for a while. I have nothing against AAA titles but often I am just as impressed by a game that I can download for 69p from the app store. The free rein that small indie games design teams today is very similar to the early days of games creation and that is a good thing IMO.


For more information and to keep up to date with the latest happening for Play Expo click the below to find out more and book your tickets:

http://www.playexpo.net/

http://twitter.com/replayevents

http://www.facebook.com/ReplayEvents

http://www.youtube.com/replayexpo

Our recent winner of the Play Expo competition - Catherine Cock sent us her picture of her winning tickets and her daughter playing with our TomyTronic giveaway and retro goodies.

GamesYouLoved would like to thank Replay Events for donating the tickets for this prize :) 

Games Generation - Animation Tribute - by Tomoboy Films

Gaming has evolved so much from the early beginnings of Space War!, Pong and Pac-Man to the heady arcades and consoles / microcomputers of the 80s.  

The theatre and entertainment of the medium also crosses many creative boundaries including writing, movie production, music and graphic design.

At GamesYouLoved we celebrate anything that continues to support this world where gamers of every generation can develop ideas to bring this generation of games to life.

When Tomoboy Films approached GamesYouLoved earlier this year they had a vision in LEGO they wanted to bring to life through the power of stop motion and a fantastic cinematic experience.

Over many weeks of development including changing the characters, soundtrack and overall story - Tomoboy Films crafted their video gaming video.

The result is now on YouTube for all to see here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8XCJnrRzPs 

We spoke to the creator to get his take on the process and experience

"I had great fun making this animation and it has been my most ambitious one yet! 

I really loved photoshopping, it took absolutely ages to do but it was nice to see some FX that wasn’t play-doh! If you want to see some of my Lego figures in this video then please check out my flickr photos (link) it helps a lot! Also I have my other Lego animations which are a bit older, on my youtube: (tomoboyfilms) link below."

For more info on Tomoboys Films check this out:

Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/80060649@N06/with/8830303264/

YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/Tomoboyfilms

If I think back 2 1/2 years, there was no retro gaming in my life.

If I think back 2 1/2 years, there was no retro gaming in my life. 
It was a thing of the past. 
The arcades of the 80's were a distant memory. Fast forward to the present and I have 5 pinball machines, 6 video arcade machines and I'm organising the North East's first ever retro gaming event  www.northeastretrogaming.com - NERG!

I was born in 1969 and my first experience of a video game was a Space Invaders machine at the local youth club when I was about 11. From then on, it was gaming all the way! The first video console I had was an Atari 2600 and that's addiction started. Awww man, I loved that console.


From there the progression started. Upgrading every few years.

I used to go on day trips to Blackpool in the late 80's. Dare I say there were just too many arcades? I used to envy kids who lived in seaside resorts. All the money I earned being pumped into machines without a care in the world.

But as the years went on, home gaming got better and better and the arcades as we know it started to die out.

I lost touch with my 80's gaming for a long time.

My gaming consisted of sitting in front of a PC playing multiplayer Battlefield.....then a friend introduced me to an arcade collectors forum in June 2011. An arcade collectors forum? The arcade machines of the 80's and 90's still exist?

I remember flicking through the posts of the "Member's Machines" and just could not believe there were people out there that had video and pinball machines in their houses! And that's when it started all over again. I could actually own a piece of my arcade past! But it didn't have to be in the past anymore. My house can be an arcade!

Then in November 2012, NERG was born. I've got the arcade passion once more and I'm determined to bring the arcade back to more people out there. Bring the arcade of the past back to the present.



I've been in touch with collectors all over the country and so far, NERG with have at least 40 pinball machines, between 60 and 70 video arcade machines as well as 45 consoles and computers that we all grew up with. Bring your kids along and show them how you spent your youth and where gaming truely began. In big busy buildings, not the bedroom.

At NERG, there is an admission fee only. All the machines are set to free play! You can play the games as long as your fingers can take it.

But be warned....if the addiction comes back and you start buying machines, please don't hold me responsible :-)

Our GUEST blogger is Phillip Murphy - the great guy who LOVES all things RETRO and is the passion and brains behind NERG

http://www.facebook.com/OTWBigPhil

http://www.facebook.com/NorthEastRetroGamingLimited

Guest Blog - NES days gone by....

Some people remember the first time they first rode their bike without stabilisers some people remember their first car. Me? I remember my first console. 

I remember ripping open the Christmas paper to reveal the box for the Nintendo Entertainment System, it looked magnificent! The two stickers on it let me know it came with Super Mario 3! I was so excited, I never wanted to open the other presents, I just wanted to play my new console. Sadly I would have to wait until the rest of the presents were open. As soon as i could, I got my dad to help me connect it up to the TV. Switching it on and seeing it load up to SM3, was perhaps the greatest thing I had ever seen, it looked so great, so crisp, so mesmerising.

 There is very little I remember of that Christmas, other than my new NES, everything else seemed so insignificant. This was the first time I had ever played a computer game, I wondered how I had went so long without this joy. Using the control pad to make Mario jump on the Koopa's and save the Princess, made me feel so in control.

It felt like I was a Knight of old, on my own quest to save the damsel in distress. The colours of the game seemed so bright, the graphics so smooth and refined. Even when I look at how real games look these days, when I switch on SM3, it still looks so perfect.

Over the years I have played through my NES games many many times, it still remains a permanent feature of my living room. I have never really felt that the console has got dated, to me it is as relevant as it did the day i got it. When I pick up the controller these days, a flood of memories rush through my brain. I remember on the last day of Primary School, I fell of my bike & fractured my skull - spent weeks in hospital, though it seemed to fly by.

The children's ward in the hospital had a NES in the rec room, though only one game, Duck Hunt. I spent most days in there all day shooting the computer ducks with the light gun , it relaxed me and made me forget that I was spending my last summer before High School, stuck in a hospital. Some people read to relax, some people go for a nap. Me? I become a plumber and go save the Princess! -

GamesYouloved would like to thank, Stang.  Our Guest Blogger for his RETRO gaming memories.

Why do YOU love games?

Why do YOU love games?

One thing we love at GamesYouLoved is the gameplay of course. But it's about the people who really care about the games like us too...  

We really enjoy talking about every aspect of gaming with our friends in the UK and overseas because it's fun, a passion, and something that no-one can take away from us.  It's part of who we are.

Why 'games' some might ask? We will have to ask our audience perhaps - it's a good starting point! 

For us (if you would like to know!) it's for many many different reasons. Of course GamesYouLoved isn't just about us - it's about everyone - but our energy and drive is:

- all about playing, having fun, being competitive...the reasons of why we love the gaming/playing side goes on and on!

- we like most things you like from any genre - video, arcade, handheld, board games, traditional - open to everything and like finding about new stuff we don't know about too!

- gaming mixes up all kinds of creative outputs; TV, Movies, Cartoons, Comics, Music, Art - just about anything

- the memories - seeing a game that you have forgotten about is a very good feeling - it takes you back and makes you smile, laugh and just enjoy what were great times...then...and now!

And its something we can share and talk about...which is very cool. For the last 3 or 4 months that's what we've been doing on Twitter (as little) and Facebook (a little more). With our website coming very soon now, we want to try and make this a really exciting journey for us and everyone who joins us.

We hope you enjoy it too...and thanks 

The GamesYouLoved Team

TV and FILM make up games of the 70s and 80s

Back in the 70s / Early 80 

When the evenings got lighter on a Friday after tea, my friends and I used to go the local park or common and pretend play 'make up games' based on TV and Films of the time... 

Starsky and Hutch was a favourite.

We'd hide down the river ditch to evade the enemy - pretend to catch the bad guys.

One of us used to borrow our big brothers long (way too big for us) wooly jumper like Starsky running around (thinking we were actually him! - but looking just like a kid wearing a jumble sale jumper!)

Sometime our sister would play Charlies Angels - with a cardboard walkie talkie she'd run around pretending to talk to it - crazy but fun!

We also had a mate who'd play Freddie Krueger with plastic knives on their mums glove - chase us around the mad kid!! He's quite normal now...strangely enough!!

This is gamesyouloved calling - we need YOU!!

8 classic Monopoly board game pieces.

They all go down in history.....but the Iron, wheelbarrow, dog, cannon, car, top hat, shoe, battleship, or thimble are literally about to made extinct?!

If you don't know already Monopoly are due to replace all the traditional pieces with naff modern ones such as diamond ring and helicopter (yawn)..!

Gamesyouloved.com want to keep the dream alive and make the might big Hasbro retain this for games-sake!

Vote on their Facebook page for your favourite NOW - ends 

GO TO: http://bit.ly/saveyourtoken

or

GO TO: http://www.facebook.com/gamesyouloved  for our viewers choices on our Facebook page!

One of the six current game tokens is going away, supposedly eliminated from the game forever, with a replacement token to be announced on February 6.