The video game “Asteroids” caused me to flunk algebra!
I don’t remember when exactly this game came out, but I do remember that I was obsessed with playing it at the local mall during my High School years.
Our one and only mall in Salem, Oregon had a video arcade called “The Electric Palace”. This arcade was a favorite hangout for a ton of the kids from my High School. One of the games that drew the kids in was “Asteroids”, a tame little game with minimal graphics by today’s standards in which you piloted your tiny little triangular “Spaceship” around blasting the daylights out of over increasing numbers of asteroids.
Simple premise and pretty easy to pick up…….and HIGHLY addictive.
A single game cost 25 cents. I estimate I spent about $13,823.25 over the course of my High School career playing the damn game!
The arcade was AlWAYS packed with kids after school and on weekends. This meant alot of waiting in line for your turn to play the games.
The arcade was NOT crowded during the school day. (Duh!) Our school had no truant officer. The arcade workers didn’t give a rip who was in there during the day. I hated Algebra.
You do the math.
Yup. I ditched Algebra every day in order to head down the block to the mall so that I could play “Asteroids” for one period a day. Because of “Asteroids“, I am pushing 45yrs old and have nothing above “bonehead math” on my educational resume.
But it was worth it!
I graduated from High School and soon found myself working for the National Park Service at the Oregon Caves National Monument as a Cave Guide. The guides all lived in a small building called “The Guide Shack”. In this shack was a small break room. In that room was a pool table…..and AN ASTEROIDS MACHINE!! Not only that, but an Asteroids machine that required NO MONEY to operate!
I had died and gone to heaven!!
A Whole summer of “Asteroids” for free, with no waiting, no skipping school, and with no failing Algebra grades to explain to the parents. Life was good!
My son has practically every gaming system ever invented and currently owns about 3,000 games. The visuals and graphics on these modern games are mind-blowing. They are all cool…..but give me a stand-up “Asteroids” game anytime and I will be happy.
What a great game!
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