Was Jake Ryan a Jerk?
After rewatching “Sixteen Candles” over the weekend, I am left wondering if, despite his insane hunkiness and desirability, Jake Ryan was actually a jerk-in-dreamboat-clothing (never has a sweater vest looked so good). Wait—before you revolt on me, hear me out. I get it that Caroline was not enough for him. She was vacuous, uninteresting, and reckless. If you’re a serious guy looking for something more real in a...
Chat with Spy Hunter Game Designer
By Dave Ellis One of the most awesome things about video games in the early 80s was that, just about every time you went to the arcade, there was a new game vying for your attention (and your quarters). As far I was concerned, some games instantly faded into the woodwork, while others made an indelible impression. I don’t remember exactly when or where I first played it, but Spy Hunter was a game that hooked me instantly back in 1983....
Coleco Mini-Arcade Tabletop Games
By Thomas Zizzo Birthday parties as a kid usually meant a day at the arcade. I can remember not being able to sleep the night before a friend’s party; the anticipation was too much. The old Atari 2600, sorry to say, just wasn’t the same as that dark, black-lit room, buzzing with lights and beeps and the bright marquees of our favorite video games. Unless you were as cool as Ricky Schroder (I’ve been dying to make a Silver Spoons...
VHS versus Betamax: The Great Format War of Our Time
By Brad Williams Picture yourself at your local video rental shop in 1984 – you know the one, in the local strip mall between the convenience store and the dry cleaners, drab grey carpet and rows of wire shelves filled with propped up cardboard boxes. You head for the new releases to grab something for the weekend and are shocked to see a copy of The Empire Strikes Back, sitting all alone. You instinctively reach for it but stop...
Remembering the Sony Walkman
By Thomas Zizzo I still remember that birthday in the summer of 1982, getting this new device that was all the rage at the time, and how excited my parents were to give it to me. It was a portable stereo cassette player—the infamous Sony Walkman. My Dad was very excited and impressed about the fact that it was stereo sound, and that no one else could hear it thanks to the headphones. I remember too that my parents almost didn’t buy me...
