Of the Expansion of the Arcade and the Early Days
I could say many things about those first three years. The only question is: which things? So many events, so many new characters who arrived…
Well, I suppose I should acknowledge some of the games that were plugged in during this time. Asteroids, Space Invaders, PacMan, Missile Command…bah, there're too many to remember. Many of them are gone now- games have periodically gone down the tube since 1987. I have some suspicions…
…No, this section isn't the place to address them.
Anyways, we had a few new traditions develop during this time. Game Central Station -my innards, mind you- became the place to hang out. This was before Tapper took some of the strain off of me when he showed up later on, you know. I'm sure I irked a number of folks simply by doing my job. In fact, I know I did. I'd relate a few anecdotes about some altercations with the spaceship pilot from Asteroids if it weren't for the fact that some of the things he said would make a drill sergeant blush. There are times when I don't know whether to feel sorry that he died, or relieved that he was gone before Sugar Rush got plugged in. I had enough trouble back in the day just getting the paperboy to watch his tongue, without having to stuff soap into the mouths of a whole swarm of kids. I hope he never relapses, or Ralph may get some awkward linguistics-related questions from Vanellope.
May the developers preserve us if that happens.
I digress again…such is my style.
Where was I? Oh yes- traditions.
I settled into my grand routine, if you will. Day in and day out, no break. What a mercy it is that I'm tireless, so I can perform my tasks efficiently. Well, at least until my parts start to wear down. When that happens, though, one of the workers usually comes along and patches me up, and everything goes back to normal. I'd thank them, but I've never figured out how to speak to them. And of course, there's the fact that it would probably freak them out.
I should say a few words about the customers. In those days, we had a lot of kids. We were really popular. Kids seem to come in a lot of varieties. Some are pretty nice, so far as kids go. Others are among the most thoroughly inconsiderate individuals I've ever seen, getting into arguments about who gets to play what game first, etc. Their lack of logic astounds me at times; I sometimes left wondering if they even know that the concept of taking turns exists.
Then again, some of the kids know the concept.
Oh well, people come in all sorts of varieties, and child gamers are no exception.
Again, I could say a lot of things about this period, but in the interests of brevity, I'll cut this section off here. I've an important event to relate now.
Oh yes- a very important event indeed.