Rob's Top 5 Video Games

Okay, so I'm dating myself here.

I haven't played a video game in maybe 20 years. So I'm not talkin' X-Box or PS2 or Dreamcast or any of those new-fangled things. I'm talking real, honest, arcade-style video games, ca. 1982.

#5 ... PONG (1975)
The origin of the species, and it was great.

My grade 11 Social Studies class took the ferry over to Victoria to see the British Columbia Parliament Buildings. This was about November, 1975. On the way back, somebody noticed that there was a table-top version of this new game called "PONG" near the windows. A couple of people monopolized the game, until somebody had the bright idea to put down a quarter and 'buy' the next game, to challenge the reigning champion. If the challenger won, then he got to play for free and another challenger would buy the next game.

I stood in line and eventually got a chance to play. Mark Wong had won about three in a row, but I dispatched him from his throne on the first go-round. And then I reeled off about 8 or 10 straight wins. Everybody was crowded around, watching this cool new game, and watching me, the ubergeek, beat all the 'cool' kids. It was my fifteen minutes of highschool fame.


#4 ... ASTEROIDS (1980)

Another classic with a cult following.

The Student Union Building at UBC had a games room, with a bowling alley, some foosball tables, several stand-up pinball games, plus Asteroids. It was a real step forward when it came out, and although it was eclipsed in complexity and imagination pretty quickly, it was always fun to go back and play it.


#3 ... DIG-DUG (1982)

I hardly ever saw this game but loved playing it.


#2 ... BREAKOUT (1981)

This was a variation of the paddle-and-ball principle from PONG, where you would knock bricks out. We used to line up to play this at the Student Union Building. This was one I could master, after about a roll of quarters.


#1 ... REACTOR (1985)

Maybe a bit of a surprise...don't know how many people would remember this one. But it was way cool. In spite of many quarters, I could only get to the point where the outside wall would vanish, which caused problems trying to negotiate around the reactor core. I would buy this for the PC if it was available.