Archive for the 'nostalgia' Category

21
Mar

80s commercial nostalgia

I’m big on nostalgia. Probably more than anyone else I know, especially my wife. I think it’s because she didn’t have cable television growing up. I’ll talk about all the cool shows I used to watch on Nickelodeon and she won’t have a clue as to what I’m talking about. So while I was watching shows like Danger Mouse, Mr. Wizard’s World, Today’s Special, and The Mysterious Cities of Gold, she was watching shows like. . .well I don’t really know what kinds of shows she was watching. There actually were a few good shows on the networks, but without Nickelodeon she was missing out on much of the experience.

While watching those totally awesome shows, we all inevitably sit through the commercials. There are a few commercials I remember vividly, but most are locked away in some deep crevice of my brain, only to come back again when I review a familiar 30 second clip. For those of us who grew up in that era, I’m sure you remember the Dig ‘Em Frog, the Kool-Aid Man, and the tons of gimmicky cereal ads.

I had commercial nostalgia years before the internet came on the scene. In my family we had a lot of movies on VHS that we had recorded over the years. I used to play them on the VCR and and fast-forward through the movies so I could watch any commercials I might have remembered. But today, thanks to YouTube, old commercials are at our fingertips. Below are several commercials that I remember fondly.

Continue reading ’80s commercial nostalgia’

19
Mar

The golden age of computer game packaging

Those of you who only started playing computer and video games in the late 1990s may wonder why anyone would write an article on computer game packaging. After all, today’s computer game boxes serve a largely utilitarian purpose of holding the game’s discs. It wouldn’t surprise me one bit if 5 years from now computer games all come in cases similar to Playstation and Xbox games. I’ve seen several computer games come in packaging like this already. Many of today’s games don’t even come with a printed manual. You’re either left with an electronic copy or sometimes just an in-game tutorial.

It wasn’t always like this. In the early days of computer games, the design and contents of the computer game box was sometimes as important as the game itself. Box art was especially important. Publishers had to make the game look as exciting as possible to overcome the crude graphics. Many times a detailed manual was included, along with extra trinkets and foldouts.

I’ve saved every computer game I’ve ever owned. Below are some pictures of a few of my favorite games and some of the nifty items that came in their boxes.

Continue reading ‘The golden age of computer game packaging’




 

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