Why I Won't Sell Old Games

I don't consider myself to be a collector by any means. I guess it's because I know there will never be any Omega Prize in foreseeable future.

But keeping that old Atari 2600 around has finally paid off, at least in one small amount.

Some teachers at my highschool were talking about the new violence-in-videogames debate. The the conversation moved to old games, and I was immediately struck with an idea: bring the Atari in and let it get some play time.

Today I packed the backpack up and smuggled in Frogger, Pitfall, Ms. Pac Man, Joust, Donkey Kong, and a few choice others. Frogger was the first game in. They remarked at the simple graphics and "hours of fun!" They kept doing the same old things everyone did: smacking into the corner of a homebase, getting crushed under the one-way screen wrap-around, jumping onto a sinking group of turtles.

Joust was next. Only one of them had played Joust and knew exactly what to do. It was odd to watch people fumble with the simplest of controls. A button and a joystick. They expected the flight to be more natural, but laughed at themselves boinking off the bottom of a platform trying to catch an egg before it hatched again.

What I got was exactly what I wanted: 4 men standing around a 15" television watching Atari games and laughing. I felt like Santa Claus, except I got to keep all the presents. The Atari certainly got the appreciation, and use, that it deserves. Out of an old box in storage and plugged into the wall. No system should ever sit in a box if it still works. Even if you don't play it.