Tell us your favorite video games from the 80s

[AARPLynne]

Back in the 80s, did you play video games at home or in the arcade? Which game(s) were your favorites and why?

[JohnW677674]

Pinball all the way!!!

[AvocadoDog]

The only arcade games I knew of in the 1980s were in a bowling alley in my hometown. We didn't have an arcade. I remember going with friends on a Saturday and seeing these games I'd heard of before for the first time.

I noticed there was a certain protocol if you wanted to play: You'd put a quarter on the edge of the machine, up above the screen, where the name of the game was, and that let whoever was currently playing know that someone was waiting to play next. Nine times out of ten, the person playing was some sort of Pac-Man savant and I'd be standing there like an idiot for the next twenty-five minutes waiting for my turn.

It was all too much for shy, quiet, me. Finally, it's my turn and I've got a bunch of people I don't know huddled around me either telling you what to do or hoping I'd lose quickly so they could play. ...Usually, I lost quickly, I'm sure to everyone's delight (and my relief).

Thank heavens I only had to wait about 40 years to be able to be comfortable about posting this largely anonymously on a message board.  Now this — this is where I shine!  

AARP — where were you when I was twelve?!

[budmanscreen]

My favorite game was Pac Man. I would play for hours.

[st18688804]

I never got into video games, just isn't something I am interested in.

[Beachy811289]

Pac Man, for sure! Used to play all the time after school at the local pizza place. Lots of babysitting money spent there, lol. Our favorite beach arcade has one of these -- giant 4-person Pac Man. We can't walk by without stopping in to play. So much fun!

[2Papa]

Video games were nonexistent when I was growing up.  I was more into poker and blackjack.

[MartinG987436]

Was never much into video games.  Pinball was more like it.   Shuffleboard or maybe darts.

Pretty pathetic, I know.

[Marnums]

My father bought a couple of full sized pinball machines and we would play for hours, since we could open it up and just pull the quarters we had already put in it!  

[AvocadoDog]

Everyone had the one friend who had the game room with the pinball machines in it. You were probably that friend to your friends.

No doubt your birthday parties were epic!

[nahchoo]

What was a favorite table that you played? I really enjoyed pinball too. One of my favorites was Fireball but the first table that I rolled over was one called Boomerang. Shufflepuck games weren't as common but that was fun too and I'd forgotten how fun darts were to play but I'd had dart boards long before video games. I don't think you're memories pathetic at all.  😊

[Marnums]

TETRIS!!  I would spend hours playing.  

A family friend had an ATARI system and her sons would let us play Donkey Kong on it when ever were were over there.  

We had an Intellivision Console at home and my younger sister and I would play Dungeons & Dragons.

[AvocadoDog]

Oh, man!  Intellivision!  I found one in a thrift store twenty (!) years ago and played "BurgerTime"...

...on that thing until those horrible Intellivision controllers finally gave out.

There's a special place in he—  ...in the afterworld for the designer who came up with those things!

[nahchoo]

The Legend Of Zelda - It was just this huge world full of surprises and many mini-quests to complete. It was my all time favorite!

Megaman 2 - It just was so brightly colored and it played so well. Great gamepad response and a real challenge.

Blaster Master - I never beat this one, it's hard! But the concept and the bosses made it a favorite anyway. Once I got to Level 3 I'd usually used up all 3 of my continues so it was Game Over. I did try the other levels using a Game Genie and unlimited continues along with level skipping but this game is HARD!