I plugged in the Namco Classics cartridge for Amy Eisenman tonight so she could battle Inky, Blinky, Pinky, and Sue as the tenacious Ms. Pac Man. The nostalgia of these retro-games, recreated arcade pixel-perfect in my living room, is powerful. I can almost smell the mixed odors of ozone, carpet cleaner, and melting artificial mozzarella cheese food product from the Showbiz Pizza Place. (Don't remember Showbiz? They were the losers in the franchise wars that eventually resulted in the ultimate supremacy of Chuck E. Cheese across the nation. Even the Chuck E. Cheese theme song was stolen from Showbiz when they merged. It used to be "Show-biz pizza. Where a kid can be a kid." Nowadays, they substitute "Chuck E Cheese's." for "Showbiz Pizza." It still sounds strange to me. Wow, this is pretty long for a parenthetical comment.)
After she and Scott left, I played a couple of rounds of each of the games on the cartridge: Pac Man (I rule, but it's the same maze over and over again), Ms. Pac Man (I still rule, and a little more variety), Galaga (ugh, I can make it through about 6 levels), Galaxian (double-ugh! I really can't play this game). It is a comfort to me that I am approximately as good (or bad, depending on your point of view) at games like Pac Man and Galaxian as I was back in the '80s. I'm not sure why that's comforting, but it is. Proof that some things don't change? Life may throw me for a loop, but I will always suck at Galaxian.
After she and Scott left, I played a couple of rounds of each of the games on the cartridge: Pac Man (I rule, but it's the same maze over and over again), Ms. Pac Man (I still rule, and a little more variety), Galaga (ugh, I can make it through about 6 levels), Galaxian (double-ugh! I really can't play this game). It is a comfort to me that I am approximately as good (or bad, depending on your point of view) at games like Pac Man and Galaxian as I was back in the '80s. I'm not sure why that's comforting, but it is. Proof that some things don't change? Life may throw me for a loop, but I will always suck at Galaxian.
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