You Definitely Know These 20 Things If You Were A Gamer In The '90s
The '90s were perhaps the most innovative decade for gaming. The graphics, complexities, storylines, and functionality of games became exponentially better from year to year. Not to mention all the iconic characters that came out of this period. It was truly the time to be alive for nerds. Here are 20 nostalgic things only '90s gamers will understand.
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1. Games on Floppy Disks
Do you remember floppy disks? In the days of early computers, they were what we used to store data. Games came on floppy disks which you would exchange with friends and copy.
2. Renting Games at Blockbuster
Please tell us you remember Blockbuster Video. It's where people would flock on Friday to pick up all their entertainment for the weekend. You could get games there, but God forbid you're not able to finish one before it's due back.
RegionalQueenslander on Wikimedia
3. Sega Genesis
The Sega Genesis was a 1989 gaming console and one of the major competitors to Nintendo in the early '90s console wars. If you're old enough, you might remember playing Sonic the Hedgehog, Streets of Rage, or Golden Axe on one of these.
4. Game Boys
Before we were all playing Candy Crush on our phones, we had Game Boys. The Game Boy was released in 1989 as a handheld portable gaming console, and even though the black on greenish screen graphics left a lot to be desired, it became a global phenomenon.
5. The Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES)
If you were really into games in the 90s, you had to have one of these consoles. They featured the most advanced graphics and iconic games like Super Mario World and The Legend of Zelda. The controller design became the standard for modern controllers.
6. Game Gears
SEGA's answer to the Game Boy, Game Gear was a handheld gaming console. It featured a full-color screen with notably higher-def graphics and horizontal orientation. However, its battery life was abysmal–the price you had to pay for color graphics!
7. The Super Mario Bros. Movie
In 1993, the first ever feature-length live-action movie based on a video game was released, an exciting day for gamers! The movie was, unfortunately, pretty terrible, but that's beside the point.
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8. Game Manuals
In the 90s, an essential element of the game-purchasing experience was eagerly leafing through the manual tucked inside the sleeve on the car ride home. Before in-game tutorials became standard, manuals were where you would get all the information about how to play and what to expect from a game, accompanied by awesome graphics.
9. Memory Cards
Before internal storage or cloud saving was a thing, gamers relied on memory cards with usually limited storage space and functionality. Making tough choices about which files to keep and which to delete was a normal part of gaming in the '90s.
Deni Williams from São Paulo, Brasil / Brazil on Wikimedia
10. Text Boxes
Speech bubbles accompanied by garbled speech noises were the standard in '90s video games because clearly having real audio of the characters talking was far too complicated. In this way, playing a video game was rather like reading a book.
11. Multi-Disk Games
Sometimes you would buy a game only to realize there are multiple discs in the box. This was very exciting as it meant that the game was so complex, it outgrew one disc!
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12. Video Game Magazines
Before there was the internet, gamers relied on video game magazines to stay up to date with the latest gaming news. People would wait anxiously for the latest editions to come out so they could nerd out over the new games and reviews.
13. Demos
Game demos were a mainstay of '90s gaming culture. They allowed players to get a free or low-cost sample of a new or upcoming game before buying it.
14. Game Genie
Game Genie was a video game hacking device used to manipulate games. People used them to cheat but also to play a game they had already beaten as it allowed them to experience the game differently.
15. Strategy Guides
If you were super into gaming, chances are you had at least a few strategy guides lying around. These books allowed players to navigate complex games and really master them. They declined with the rise of the internet.
16. Full Motion-Video Cutscenes
Full motion video cutscenes were like miniature movies that played during the game. Nowadays, a whole game can look better than a video cutscene from the 90s, but back then, they were really something to marvel at.
17. Link Cables
Game Boys by themselves were already pretty amazing, but they were made even better with the introduction of link cables. The cables allowed you to share the gaming experience with a friend, competing in games like Mario Kart or cooperating in games like Pokemon.
18. Blowing in Gaming Cartridges
Every '90s gamer has blown into the cartridge to try and dislodge dust when something wasn't working properly. Did it work? No, but we did it over and over again anyway.
19. Gaming Lingo
With the birth of gaming came the birth of gaming lingo. Words like "noob" and "pwned" originated on someone's sofa in the 90s. If you were really a gamer, you knew all the latest terms.
20. Rumble Packs
Before it was integrated into the controller, people would buy an accessory called a rumble pack that would send vibrations to your hands. That simple tactile experience added another level of immersion to gameplay.
