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October 21, 2009
So I’ve Been Thinking of Cultivating a Video Game Problem
The thing about today’s video games is that they’re complicated and expensive, and I don’t have the time or money to invest in them, which is why I don’t play them. Back when I was a kid and arcades were the thing, though, I played them quite a lot. My game?
Yeah, Ms. Pac-Man (which is superior in every way to regular Pac-Man—don’t even get me started). I hardly ever see a Ms. Pac-Man game anymore, but whenever I do, I’ll spend a couple dollars playing. This has not kept up my Mad Ms. Pac-Man Skillz at, say, 1988 levels, but I bet I can still beat you.
Of course, right now, there is a very easily accessible Ms. Pac-Man game at the Strong Museum (a.k.a. The National Museum of Play) in their awesome Videotopia exhibit, which Tammy and I visited this past Sunday. It was Tammy’s idea to go, but she didn’t seem as excited about playing the games as I was. Here she is playing Donkey Kong (a fine game, too, vastly preferable to the inferior Donkey Kong Jr.):
Tam looks so calm there. Me, I was jumping around shouting, “Oh my God, Tammy, THEY HAVE FROGGER!!! AND PAPERBOY!!! AND DIG-DUG!!! I DON’T KNOW WHAT TO PLAY FIRST!!!” Basically, they have a whole room set up like an arcade from my youth, with token machines and everything. You get four tokens with admission; further tokens are 25¢ each. I had so much fun there that I’ve been seriously thinking about getting one of the special passes they’re offering for adults that allows you unlimited admission until the exhibit closes in January. Who needs to write books and teach classes and cook and whatever when Ms. Pac-Man needs my help? You should see the high score on that machine. I got halfway to it on my first try. I can beat it; I know I can.
Posted by adrienne at October 21, 2009 07:51 AM
Comments
I'm sorry, but I'm having trouble getting past the fact that there is a National Museum of Play. And wondering how I can get there.
You may stop being my friend when I say this, but I don't have a lot of experience with MS. Pac Man. But she sounds lovely.
I'm always looking out for Magic 8 Balls for you, though I, like, NEVER see them, and now I'm wondering if a Ms. Pac Man 8 Ball exists.
Posted by: Jules at October 21, 2009 08:57 AM
Dear Tammy: You are a good, good friend...
You and D. would get along. He knows ALL the games, and the old computer games too. Occasionally he spouts off with "Green Elf Needs Food, Badly!" And I have no idea what that is from.
I have to say, I never got into arcade games, because I wasn't allowed to go to the arcade. (Mumble, mumble, complain). I can probably open up a can of whatever on anyone's behind in air hockey, however. The mini-golf place we'd go to for class trips had several tables, and that's the only thing I learned how to play in the brief time before/after actual golfing.
Someday I'm sure you're going to tell me WHY Ms. Pac-Man was infinitely better than plain old Pac-Man, and I await that day with baited breath.
Posted by: tanita at October 21, 2009 10:18 AM
William would love this. I'm always talking about the games that were popular when I was a kid. I have to go with Centipede as my favorite.
Posted by: Tricia at October 21, 2009 10:35 AM
See how much WILD AND CRAZY FUN we have here in WNY, Jules? As if just being a National Museum of Play isn't enough by itself, it also has a circulating library and books kids can check out all over the place. They also have play Wegmans (grocery store), which I love even more than real Wegmans because sometimes the kids let me be the cashier.
Of course, last year, they decided to induct a STICK into the Toy Hall of Fame instead of the MAGIC 8 BALL, not that I'm bitter that my own hometown would show this kind of flagrant disrespect to my favorite toy or anything. It's not even on the list of finalists this year (see here: http://www.museumofplay.org/about_us/files/nominees09.pdf--given the choices, I think I have to go with sidewalk chalk).
Tanita, I am not great at air hockey, but I do like playing it.
Tricia, They have Centipede. I was never very good at it, but I played a round and got to the second board, which isn't terrible.
Posted by: adrienne at October 21, 2009 11:39 AM
My workplace had a deal with Strong Museum for the month of September...present your work ID and get free admission. Since I work one block away from the museum, many of my coworkers walked over during their lunch breaks and played games.
Did I go there? Even once? No. :(
Posted by: Sabrina at October 21, 2009 12:38 PM
Oh my gosh! How could you pass up such a sweet deal? I might have been there every day.
Posted by: adrienne at October 21, 2009 01:33 PM
Tanita, I forgot to tell you about one of my favorite subjects: Why Ms. Pac-Man is Superior to Regular Pac-Man. The thing is Pac-Man's board doesn't really change much along the way; basically, it gets harder because everything goes faster. Ms. Pac-Man, on the other hand, gets faster, but the boards also change shape quite frequently. There are also those awesome little periodic animations about Pac-Man and Ms. Pac-Man meeting and having adventures. It has more going on, which makes the experience of playing more interesting.
Posted by: adrienne at October 21, 2009 01:36 PM
You MUST rent the movie The King of Kong. It's a documentary about this guy who is obsessed with Donkey Kong and wants to be the world champion. It's fascinating. (I happen to love Donkey Kong.)
Posted by: Barbara O'Connor at October 21, 2009 02:04 PM
Oh right! I *have* heard of it before. But I forgot. 'Cause I remember that stick addition. How funny. The poor, spurned Magic 8 Ball.
Posted by: Jules at October 21, 2009 06:27 PM
Barbara, I've seen it! I love documentaries in general, but you're right that one was fascinating. I love documentaries about people who are obsessed with things I don't know much about, and I had NO IDEA the world of Donkey Kong was so dramatic. I feel the same way about the documentary Helvetica, about fonts.
Jules, I'm thinking of picketing about the Magic 8 Ball situation, although maybe I'll wait for Videotopia to close. I don't want to lose my video game privileges.
Posted by: adrienne at October 21, 2009 07:23 PM
I toyed with the idea of getting my hubby a wii or PS2 last year for some holiday or other. What I settled on was one of those little joysticks with a pre-loaded game which plugs right into the TV. Which game did I choose, you ask? Why, Ms. Pac-Man of course!! It also has Pole Position (awesome, clearly) and a couple of other weird old atari games that I never played. I'm so glad I didn't drop $200+ on one-a them new-fangled games the kids play these days. You can always pop over on your lunch hour for a Ms. P-M fix!! :)
Posted by: melissa at October 21, 2009 09:36 PM
How could I pass up such a deal? Ask O what the month of September was like for me at work. Couldn't get away from my desk!
Posted by: skb at October 21, 2009 10:05 PM
Melissa, You'll be sorry when I'm on your couch for hours on end. :) I have never played a racing game I haven't enjoyed, either.
Sabrina, They gave you this opportunity and then too much work to enjoy it? That's kind of cruel.
Posted by: adrienne at October 21, 2009 10:13 PM
I was terrible at Ms. PacMan, as I was/am with all video games. But one day during a summer at the beach, I had a bunch of quarters. Twenty minutes later, all the quarters were gone. I can see the attraction.
Posted by: Saints and Spinners at October 22, 2009 11:21 PM
Space Invaders rules!
Posted by: Elsie the Ersatz Cow at October 23, 2009 08:18 PM
Farida, Sadly, being good at Ms. Pac-Man isn't a marketable skill, so it's probably just as well. ;)
Elsie, Indeed. Those aliens killed me on the first board.
Posted by: adrienne at October 23, 2009 10:33 PM