Let the games begin…again?
Photo by zzellers
When I was a kid, my parents gave my sister and me an Intellivision video game system, and I thought my head would explode from excitement. For those of you too young or old to remember, Intellivision was supposed to be the brainier (though decidedly less “cool”) version of gaming systems like the Atari 2600 or ColecoVision. This was the early ’80s, and video games were going through a bit of a revolution, partly thanks to the immensely popular Pong. No longer relegated to commercial arcades, gamers could enjoy a wide array of video amusements in their own TV rooms, a concept that sounds incredibly quaint in this age of PSPs, iPhone games, and Nintendo’s Wii, doesn’t it?
In those days, I played Microsurgeon, Pitfall, Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, and BurgerTime until my thumbs bled (literally) from that keypad controller with the awkward wheel, which would tear back the skin under your thumbnail. Didn’t matter-I would play through the pain, such was my devotion.
But it didn’t last. Actually, I haven’t played or given much thought to video games since high school-at least not until the Wii came along. Now, instead of a bloody thumb, I’ve a new inventory of maladies spreading throughout my body. There’s that ache in my elbow from playing Boom Blox Bash Party, tenderness in my shoulder from hours of tennis on Wii Sports, and that nagging pain in my wrist from overzealous butt-kicking on Sonic Unleashed.
What is it about the Wii that has revitalized gaming for the masses? I know hard-core gamers are divided about their feelings for the system-some just can’t take it seriously, while others place it side-by-side with the more “street cred”-worthy competition like the Xbox or PlayStation. But for the casual gamer, which is exactly who Nintendo is marketing to, the Wii is an unintimidating and versatile toy that everyone can get involved with on some level. In fact, just a few months ago I was at my uncle’s house for a family gathering and everyone, from my 84-year-old grandmother to my 3-year-old niece, was bowling on Wii Sports together and having a truly great time. I can’t imagine that Grandma would be able to handle an Xbox controller with the same dexterity.
Are you part of the Wii revolution, or do you prefer a more “hard-core” gaming experience? And what is it about playing video games that keeps you coming back for more? 
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ok, im not too old, and have rarely heard about the intellivision. But for me personally, the Wii is designed to play exactly what i dislike.
Kid/family oriented games that take little to no actual skill or thought to beat.
That is why i cant stand the system, if you look through gamestop, you see dora and this hugeee selection of little kid games.
Being an 18 year old, i much perfer the better performing, better gamed PS3. But i hate 360, muchh to many problems
In my house, we have the Wii, Xbox360, PS2, and several PCs for current gaming platforms. The PCs actually get the most use (World of Warcraft and Sims 3). For the consoles, the Wii is used a bit more (various games), but for a short while, the Xbox360 dominated with Call of Duty and Halo. When we have non-traditional gamers (aka grand parents and other guest), the Wii is fun and intuitive for everyone to use.
As for gaming history, I had the Atari 2600 as well as the Commodore 64 to start me off. The C64 actually led me to take up software development since I had to key in games from magazines.
the thing is, the only video game systems i owned were handheld
but if i was to get a console it would be a wii
so ya you could say i was part of the “revolution”
Yeah, this blog better than those of Yahoo products promising the glitches have been fixed. Yep, brought back memories. We had the Magnavox Odessy.
I would say I’m more on the hardcore side. I’m into more serious games that are found on the Xbox, and after a while I just got sick of the cheap casual games which were all the wii had to offer.
I gave up on video games long long ago. It was when I was 23 years old and had two housemates. I can remember coming home from work and seeing my housemates sitting on the couch, playing those video games for hours and hours. Then, at some point months later, they both asked me if I could loan them money so they could afford to pay the rent! Talke about some mixed-up priorities in life. I was working so I could keep a roof over my head and they were sitting around playing those video games! And later wanted to sponge off of me because they were broke. Nah….forget it. I am just not a gamer.
Well I’ve never found a gaming system I couldn’t like, and the Wii is no exception. I like it primarily because it’s a Nintendo platform and many of my favorite games are Ninetendo. (Harvest Moon, Zelda, Animal Crossing…) I think that the motion sensitive controller is what is “revitalized” gaming. I remember my son laughing at me for tilting the controller while playing a racing game. Now, tilting the controller is the way to go. Who knew I would ever be ahead of the curve in games? lol
Grandma of 4+ and avid gamer.
(And just by way of credentials, I have an X-box, Game Cube, Playstation 2 and 3, Wii, Nintendo 64, Sega Genesis, PSP, and Nintendo DS thin. I really do like my games.
)
I am, as many people tend to dislike these days, an “Xbox fan boy.” I love the Xbox 360…love love love love it. People always complain about the error codes and Red Rings that happen with them, but (knock on wood), none of these have ever happened to my console. The Xbox is perfect for me, it has a great selection of games, and an amazing online multi-player experience that only MMORPG’s like World of Warcraft can match. Being 18 years old, video games are not number 1 in my life, but they are up there. They give me something to do when I am not working or with my friends. Or, if I decide that I don’t want to go out that night, just because, I can play my video games. So, yes, I would consider myself a gamer.
My gaming favorites include the Call of Duty series, the Guitar Hero series (especially the recent Metallica one), and Assassin’s Creed.
I like the concept of the Nintendo Wii, and was truly excited for the day it came out. I couldn’t wait to blast through The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess and have a blast playing Smash Bros Brawl. Only when it came time to play these games that were promised to have magnificent controls, it felt like a rip off. Instead of true 1:1 motion sensing, I was treated to a system that barely registered quick motions.
Next comes the part where you would imagine that I would start talking up the 360 and the PS3, but you’d be wrong. In all honesty, it still feels like I’m waiting for all of these so called “newgen” games to finally come out. Slowly but surely, there have been games trickling out that do deserve to be called great games, but none of them, and I mean none of them really feel like they are delivering what has been promised. Maybe I’m cynical after playing dozens and dozens of games as a kid, but it seriously does not feel like games have advanced as far ahead in time as the gaming industry as a whole is claiming.
Despite everything though, I continue to play. Eventually something truly stunning will come out, and then I’ll shut up until I get bored of that game too.
We never had a lot of money when we were growing up, and we wound up with an Intellivision sometime in the nineties. I knew it was pretty ancient, as far as videogames go, but it gave me and my brothers hours of entertainment and screaming fights over who got to play next.
These days, we have quite a selection, though most are still pretty old. We’ve got a Super Nintendo, a Nintendo 64, a Gamecube, 2 Gameboy Colors and a Gameboy Advance… A PS2, and an Xbox 360.
I’ll never get tired of playing Mario Bros and the Zelda games for N64.
I’m waiting, highly impatiently, for my copy of Zelda Windwaker to arrive in the mail so I can spend the next two weeks playing it nonstop. Or in between housecleaning, errand running, and baby-feeding, I suppose. ^_^ I’ve played it twice before, but never had my own copy of the game.
The biggest problem with video games is that, if you’re not careful, you can lose yourself to them and stop living in the real world. After buying the Xbox 360 and spending a couple of months playing Elder Scrolls: Oblivion, it felt like I came out of a coma or something. I looked at the calendar and at my messy house and wondered just what on earth had happened to me and how that much time had passed without me actually accomplishing anything.
We don’t play video games at my house. We don’t watch movies or TV either. In fact, we don’t HAVE a TV. Which is why I like the wii, because when I play it on occasion at friends houses I don’t make an utter fool of myself. It really is fun, too! I can see how it would get boring after a while, though, with it’s limited buttons and therefore capabilities. But for some of us, an Xbox controller is truly intimidating!
I AM A ROBOTIC GECKO! I AM THE LIZARD OF FEAR! I AM THE LIZARD OF DESTRUCTION! I AM THE LIZARD OF MANGOS, PINEAPPLES AND VARIOUS OTHER TROPICAL FRUITS!!!
its funny to see my little sister sit there in amazment wondering how the wii can tell if she swings her arm or not, i think any game is a good game and i think there are hard core games for wii, just not on “wii sports” or brain age acadamy or whatever
Awesome … I started on intellivision right after pong . Our favs were the sports games and things like Sea battle & D&D.. I went on to explore Nintendo , Sega Genesis and Then Playstation… I’ve had Favorites on each but finally settled on the playstation because of Tomb Raider and a few others like Silent Hill & R.E.
The wife however loves here wii because of Zelda which i somehow missed back in the day …I play when i can because it can be fun to explore
And you didn’t play Snafu???
That’s the greatest Intellivision game ever.
I started out on the Atari 2600 VCS. It really was the most popular of the early video game systems (with the Magnavox Odyssey being actual first home cartridge system). I certainly remember when the Intellivision came out, but I never had one… I picked up a ColecoVision which had the best graphics at the time!! The ColecoVision was really “rockin’ it” for gamers back then… that is… until Coleco decided to try and get into the Computer market. The Coleco Adam Computer (which I also bought… stupid me), was the thing that killed off the ColecoVision and Coleco as a toy company as well (even though they had made tons of money on those Cabage Patch Kids).
The Nintendo Wii is sooo popular today because of that unique motion control. I think it’s great… I just hope that Nintendo can keep the great games coming out in the future.
Anyone wanna guess when we see the next new system from Nintendo??? I’m sayin’ sometime in 2012…
I didn’t have Intellivision, but I had the more streamlined Intellivision II. Never got a bloody thumb, but those controller side buttons would hurt after a while, especially when playing Advanced Dungeons and Dragons! I also liked Astrosmash, Snafu and Lock-n-chase. I was just telling my 8 year old son, a PS3 owner, about it the other day. I think it’s still in the basement, so I might dust it off and see if it works!
I’ve never played a Wii, but it seems like a great idea.
Actually, I still have one of those. I also have an Atari 2600 and about 100 games for it.
i started on intellivision right after pong
I’ve always been a gamer. The first Atari that came out that played the cartridges such as Pong, Bowling, Missle Command and the like was my favorite. The Intellivision was very screwed up in my opinion. The games weren’t ‘user-friendly’ and the controls were very shaky so I hooked the Atari back up.
I own it, If you are going to do co-op then you will enjoy most games, but it is rather hard to get a game with good single player on it besides brawl(best of both worlds) zelda and Mario Kart wii
I miss my Super Nintendo and Nintendo 64.
I own a Xbox 360, and while there are many, many great games out there now, but Super Mario Bros. 1 & 3 and Chrono Trigger for the Super, and Goldeneye and Super Mario 64 for the N64 were some of the greatest games in the history of video games.
I used to have an Intellivision until my mom threw it away one day while I was at school, I never forgave her for that until recently….
It’s such a pity we have so many fanboys. People need to open their eyes. All of the consoles mentioned are excellent. I, myself, would firstly buy a 360, then Wii, then PS3, but it’s in no way biased. I have loads of fun with my friend’s Wii (ugh, sounds so wrong) but I would also have an excellent time playing on the.
It’s just a matter of games. I would truly want to own all three main consoles but I’m not very wealthy (yet ^^). I can’t believe how many people can so blindly be such huge fanboys. I truly loved the hell out of my NES, I spent countless days on my brother’s SNES. Playstation? Practically my life. PS2? Perhaps my favorite console? Xbox? I’ll never forget the friends I made on Halo 2 and the fun times we’ve had. Why can’t you Neanderthals enjoy it all? Why must you hate on another great console? -_-”
Errrr, the others.* idk how I managed to leave that one out.
Video games have always been escapism for me. That is why they are so addictive. Like reading books or watching movies, you get drawn into another world. The difference with video games is, the world is interactive. It is great escapism and much cheaper when compared to (hardcore) drugs or alcoholism. However, video game addiction does exist. There are no chemical properties of a video game to keep you addicted like nicotine or heroine, but if the person can not prioritize important things in their life, I suppose it is just as bad.
I personally can’t stand the Wii, PS3, or either Xbox much. What happened to when games were still original? Everything newer than PS2 games are the same old crap just with different visuals and names. Even some of PS2 games were getting pretty bad. I’m plenty happy with my stock of PS, SNES, and NES games to keep me satisfied for a long time to come. The replay value on all those were pretty damned good. Secret of Mana, Chrono Trigger, any Final Fantasy games before number 10 (that just blew the franchise to crap), and so many others it would take pages to list. The first Halo was okay, as was Fallout 3, but as for the rest of the gaming industry, it should have been put down like a sick dog years ago.
My dad was a “brainiac.” I thought we were tho only uncool kids that had Intellevision instead of Atari (we had Pong before that). Everyone I’ve talked to has never even heard of it.
I have always been a gamer, since the day my parents brought home the Coleco Vision (With the Atari2600 Adaptor.) We had previously owned the original Pong, though I was a bit young at the time to play it. I went through a stage where most of my gaming was done on PCs (Commodore 64, and then the Atari ST.) It was not long though before I found myself with the NES, SNES, then PS1, PS2, and now I have the PS3. With young children starting to get interested in Daddy’s Game (as they call it) I see myself getting the Wii at some point in the near future, as this caters more for younger gamers. I am happy to say my gaming legacy seemingly, will carry on.
Of all the games, the one I miss the most is Battle Chess. I loved watching the pieces destroy each other as we played the game. I’m not much of a gamer. I haven’t found one that suits my tastes since Harpoon and Task Force. I like games of tactics and strategy. But what I’m looking for is one where I just set the battles up, press a button and everything moves automatically from there. I don’t want to fly a plane, operate a sub or any of the minutia of getting the job done. I just want to plan and execute and see how the battle come out.i.e. work the problem.
Since Philips/Magnavox is alive and well, I’d like to see an official port of the Odyssey2 games to at least one of the major gaming platforms.
Yes, there are emulators out there, but there’s something about buying a shrink-wrapped CD-ROM that emulation cannot precisely emulate.
LMAO! My first video game was Pong, which was so much fun at that time. Then, as a newlywed, I had the Atari 2600! Wow! More games to play. Then at one time, we had the Atari, Colecovision and Intellivision…and I did like all of my games. My kids just aren’t into the Wii, Xbox or Playstations because they have games on the computer to play, and I’m the guilty party with buying the games because I have over 200 on my computer.
If it was Intellevision I owned it. Still have some of the carts. I owned one of each of the three different versions of the consoles all the add ons except the Keyboard expansion. Favorites are Tron’s Deadly Discs, Intellivoice B-17 Bomber, AD&D Treasure of Tarmin, Triple Play, Night Stalker, and Super pro Football and Basketball, Copter Watkins for the swish!
Intellevision? Awesome.
I prefer games that are on the XBOX 360 or PS3 simply because they are more graphically intensive and normally the games are more complicated and in depth. I have owned a Wii and got bored of playing Mario Soccer over and over again. The Wii is definitely perfect for people that are casual gamers. I own a Nintendo DS Lite, and an XBOX 360 and they suite me just fine. The DS is for casual pick up and play gaming, while the XBOX 360 is for late night Halo pwnage. I like video games because you can go on crazy adventures straight from your living room. Eventually I can see that I’ll get bored of video games, I hardly play my 360 anymore. I started playing World of Warcraft on the computer, and that’s starting to become a bore also. The only system that continually offers me excitement that starts up within 20 seconds is my DS. I would recommend the Wii for anyone that is a ‘light-gamer’, but also you should check out the Nintendo DS. It’s great. Excellent question that you posted!
the average age of gamers is 35! 35 years old! the exact people who grew up with intellivision, atari 2600, and the like. personally, i remember playing threshold on my friend’s commodore 64. since i am terrible at almost all video games–especially super complicated ones like call of duty where it takes 4 buttons and 3 controller moves just to shoot–the wii is a breath of fresh air. yes, the games are simple but they are also fun. anyone (including kids) can pick up a controller and play successfully very quickly. i think nintendo had a stroke of genius by appealing to the masses instead of the just the hardcore gamers. xbox and ps are missing a huge portion of the market by sticking with games that designed almost exclusively for the 18 and older crowd.
and personally, for us 30 year olds who are terrible at video games i can’t wait to get a wii. i’ve played a few times on friends’ systems and have loved every minute of it. i’ll take wii tennis over call of duty any day!
I own a Wii. But I bought before most of the games for it came out. I didn’t know there would be a bunch of kids games out for it. I just saw that commerical with that one hot chick and just went out and bought it. Sigh.
reading through a few of the comments i think we can all agree that its the Wii’s games that seriously let it down. As a console the Wii is remarkable and ready for the future of gaming… however because the control system is so different and Nintendo’s blatant refusal to expand the market from kids and the family to serious gaming i think its let down a lot. But lets face it… the Wii is the only console released since the PS2 & the N64 that hasn’t had any major hardware faults.
Whoa…Mattel Intellivision…that dredged up some fond memories! My parents gave my kid brother that one while I’d loped through Pong, Tank, Frogger and finally Tempest down at the arcades. Wonder what ever happened to his old setup…? He also got a Dark Tower game about that time. By the time Intellivision came out, I was 23 years old and not so into the video games anymore. Tempest in ‘81 was about as far as I got. At least I still have my badge of honor at the old Barthell’s hangout back in ‘74-75 as the reigning “Pong Queen” lol! My reflexes were better then…Oh, and I sold the Dark Tower, still in the box far a couple hundred bux a coupla years ago on ebay.
I’m 28 and I played Intellivision with my Dad at my Grandma’s house for hours on end. Utopia and D&Ds were our games! My Grandma passed away in 2005 and my Grandpa found it in the closet, still working! He gave it to me and although we prefer our PS3, I am still so glad I have it and its a fun memory for me.
This reads like a commercial. I wouldn’t be surprised if it was paid for.
WHEN I WAS A KID WE HAD A GAME CONSOLE CALL AN ODYESSY. MY FAVORITE GAME WAS KC MUNCHKIN…IT WAS A KNOCK OFF OF PACMAN
My husband and I popped for one of those about 25 years ago and we LOVED it. We wore out those key pads at least once. I haven’t seen one for years but I can remember my favorite game was “LOCK AND CHASE”
Thanks for the trip down memory lane
yea!! im glad i didnt make up the intellivision. We had one when i was a kid and no one else remembers it. I was beginning to think that i had made it up. the only game i remember though was burgertime. which i tried to play the arcade version a couple of months ago and apparently i suck at it.
honestly, im very satisfied with the wii, it doesnt have anything thatll screw up your system forever and it offers variety, honestly with the ps3 and xbox360 i dont see many games that are for younger players and the wii is cheap
Well I’m a little to young to remember the intellivision but I do remember the NES and playing it when I was about 3 and watching my older bro and sister win at Mario Bros Haha. Then there way my first console handheld the Gameboy and the game I wanted the most from it was Pokemon Red *hahaha good times* and then after that I got every other gameboy except I skipped out on the Advanced and waited for the SP to come out. Now im a hardcore player on my beloved 360 even though I do have a wii and play it when my friends come over I still dislike almost all of the games for it and I hate that the wii doesn’t take games very seriously.
Wii-haters make me laugh. I think they’re afraid Mommy & Daddy will whip up on them. Any who- I grew up with a 2600 & a 5200- Dad was a bit of a gamer, right up to the N64. He gave up a little after that. Imagine my surprise to find out I ran him off the road in Mario Kart Wii the night before! It’s been fun vs. Daddy again. I rock a Wii, 360, Ps2, DS Lite, Gaming PC (okay so the PC is my Husband) and a SNES in my living room. Game-on Gamers!
Gameplay > Graphics ∞
I started off with the Atari 2600. Back then, it was a blast! Oddly enough, I still have it and play it every now and then. It’s such a nice change to go back to “old school” gaming. In fact, I just hooked up my first Nintendo, and am playing the first Super Mario Bros. I do have a Wii, PS2 and a DS, but I still enjoy the old games too. They have come a long way, haven’t they?
Ahhh the old days of Coleco Vision, Intellivsion and all those great game systems. I swore off the console for a PC after Nintendo came out with system after system every year or two that made you switch consoles or have the blasted things linked up in a daisy chain.
PCs used to really have it over the console systems with graphics and sound but now… its tempting me back.
But what brings us back? I guess if your into video games its the challenge of the puzzle to win, to beat the game to move onto the next and maybe just maybe escape away for a little while. Beats paying a hundred bucks to go watch some millionaires play a game, at least this way I get to play and not watch.
Hi Mike,
LMAO…..Wasn’t that in the 50-60’s? Cause my kids played Atari in the 70’s. I guess I should come more often but not to much has changed in YAHOO ANSWERS! Still have trolls, people that give off the wall answers (me included sometimes), thumbs down for good answers, people that ask but never seen to give a best answer etc. Have a good AM. :0)
Additional Details: Mike what’s wrong with voice chat?
(forgot where I was again if this is Mike!
I’m a gamer for life. I started with the days of the 2600 and still own every system I bought since then. NES, SNES, GameCube, Gameboy, DS, 2600, PS1, PS2, PS3, PSP, and Sega Genisis. All still in working condition. I think the Wii is fun but better for group entertainment. If I’m in the mood for serious gaming the PS3 is what I’m going to pick up. The graphics are just so much better
Thats funny. I am 12, and yesterday, me and my Mom where talking about her intellivision. My grandma acctually still has it, and I play it. She also had an atari, and I think my grandma still has it. So, I play along with video games from intellavision, to Play stasion 2, to computer games.
{claudia}
well i’m glad you found a system you can enjoy. i personally would rather play a ps3 or 360 than a wii because my gaming taste is a bit different. i’m a huge fan of RPGs, mainly ones that come out of japan (JRPGs) and those are getting harder and harder to find on any console. i also enjoy playing first person shooters every once in a while, they can get quite competitive.
have fun gaming, and dont let the injuries get too bad lol.
Too young, I’m from the NES era but I remember Intellivision along with Colecovision and Commodore 64.
Enjoy thy console from the early 80’s, a true gold console prior the Crash of Videogames in the ‘83.
As for my personal opinion, I’m just a console gamer, I’m not a fanboy of any console in general, still I go more at nintendo, due having my favorite series such as Zelda, Boktai and the amazing hype by the new Punch-Out.
I own a PSP now. But i remeber those days, when my dad presented me my first intellivision game, The Atari. Later i moved on to Family game, Sega drives, Game Boy, PS, PS2 and now PSP. I really feel the revolution of games.
The Atari and Family games used to have a variety of fun games like the Pacman and Bomberman, which is available till date even in your PSPs and other devices. Oh yes, i got them in mine. The only thing that pulled back the Ataris and other video games are the Graphics. Yes, even i moved on for the same reason. And what keeps me running in the game world is the said Graphics and story lines.
Glad you enjoyed Microsurgeon. I had fun designing and programming the game for Imagic in 1982.
Hi i recently just got my first flat screen HDTV a 47 VIZIO which I love and I am now looking at a bluray player I do not have a gming system but was thinking about the PS3 system since it has the bluray player in it and it is about the same price as a standalone player around $300. Question is I see the PS3 60G system which are backward compatible with PS2 games> Should I try for those in the hopes of aquiring PS2 games relative inexpensively and then being able to play them or should I simply forgo the whole PS2 compatibility issue and focus on the new games I never really played anything as of yet so I do not know what I missed in the PS2 world I can get the PS3 SLIMs with 120G for about the same price. I curremtly have NO games whatsoever so I just need some recs