Rambling on about Pac-Man, Asteroids, and a whole lot of “Do I Get Extra Points for That?”

I am so old that the first video game I remember playing was Pac-Man. Yes, I am that old. Back then, video games did not require a headset, a subscription, a complicated online identity, or a chair that looked like it belonged in a spaceship. You walked up to an arcade machine, put in a quarter, and hoped you had enough time to figure out what in the world you were doing.

Asteroids came next, and, to be quite honest, I never really played many of the games that followed. My children did, and then my grandchildren did, and still do, but for me, most of them were just… meh. I never quite fell into the video game trap. Of course, it is a trap. It seems to have captured the minds of millions and refused to let go. I know people who can spend hours playing, battling, building, racing, and saving entire imaginary worlds. Me? I had things to do and places to be. Besides, I was pretty fond of pinball back in the day.

Now, Pac-Man was different. What was not to love? You ran around a maze eating dots while four colorful ghosts… Blinky, Inky, Pinky, and Clyde, chased you down. Every so often, you grabbed a power pellet and got to turn the tables, gobbling up the ghosts for bonus points. It was simple, silly, and oddly satisfying. I think that game is the reason I still say, “Do I get extra points for that?” whenever I do something particularly helpful. or particularly impressive, depending on who is telling the story.

Asteroids made you feel like you were piloting a spaceship from Star Trek or Lost in Space. You shot at alien rocks while trying not to get smashed by the next one coming at you. Looking back, those asteroids were little triangles and blobs, but at the time, they felt like a genuine threat to the entire universe. We did not need realistic graphics. Our imaginations filled in the blanks just fine.

And that is what makes me laugh when I think about how far video games have come. The games I started with were so unlike the ones that came later, and certainly unlike the increasingly realistic, simulator-style games made possible by modern technology and artificial intelligence. The old games were more like arcade fun. They tested your timing, your reflexes, and your patience. They did not ask you to become a military strategist, command an army, or destroy everything in your path while trying not to die yourself.

Video games today are often connected to conversations about violence and whether children can separate fantasy from reality. I am not here to pretend I have all the answers. I do know that the more realistic these games become, the more complicated the conversation gets. When the line between a game and a simulation grows thinner, it is reasonable for parents and grandparents to pay attention.

Pac-Man was not exactly harmless, I mean those ghosts were relentless, but nobody mistook him for a real-life threat. He ate dots, chased ghosts, and occasionally earned a few extra points. Asteroids did not make me want to fly into space and start blasting things. They simply gave me a quarter’s worth of excitement and a reason to try again.

Maybe that is why I remember those first games so fondly. They were funny, uncomplicated, and full of imagination. They did not take over my life, and they did not need to look like reality to hold my attention. They were the beginning of video games, back when a blinking screen and a joystick were enough to make a person feel like a champion.

As for me, I never became a serious video gamer. I played a little Pac-Man, survived a few rounds of Asteroids, and loved me some pinball. That was plenty. These days, I will leave the advanced gaming to my children and grandchildren. I have already earned my points, and I am still waiting to find out whether I get extra ones for remembering where it all began.