This morning I awoke and my first thought was, I miss computer games! Recently, I have been spending a lot of time reminiscing about pre baby life. I used to spend a lot of time working, a lot of my free time partying and almost all of the rest of my conscious hours were spent playing computer games!
I’ve never been a soap fan, and reality TV always made me cringe, so while everyone else was watching Emmerdale or such like, I’d be sat in my bedroom playing on one of my consoles, or at my desk, playing The Sims.
I Miss Computer Games
The other day, I was browsing through the current top 10 pc games, and I realised just how out of touch I have become. I haven’t played any of them, (or heard of most of them).
This time 10 years ago, I would probably have rented, completed and returned most of them by now. Do you remember ordering computer games online? Before Netflix, we had LoveFilm, which was an entertainment rental service. They’d post out DVDs and computer games to you. You’d play them and return them for a fee. It was brilliant!
If we look back even further into my past, I was a huge Nintendo fan as a child. Mario and Zelda were definitely my favourites. Most girls dreamed of Princes rescuing them…. I’d have much preferred a plumber from Brooklyn to save me, or Hyrule’s hero… Link!
The Sims was a Game Changer
I went off gaming somewhat in my later teens, but I became a HUGE fan of The Sims in the early 00’s. I then ditched my Nintendo habit, in favour of my own made up world, on my 90’s Tiny PC. I spent many hung over days abusing the “MOTHERLODE” cheat and building stupidly huge mansions for my Sim to throw parties, and woo-woo in.
Home PCs back in the 1990’s were a lot different to the setups of today. Have you had a look at the ‘NUC computer’ – NUC is a small-form-factor PC, so feel free to use this variation if you’re looking to get a small, affordable, pc. They are fan-less, so great for low impact gaming or general PC use.
Teen me got my Dad addicted to The Sims, too. He never cheated though. He spent night after night working his poor sim to the bone, only for him to leave the game running half way through a refurb and his sim starved to death – EPIC FAIL!
Once my Dad was a Sims addict and we had broadband, I saved up and got myself a gaming laptop. I briefly got addicted to The Sims Online, at this point. Sadly for me, they cancelled it after a few months of me playing it. I miss computer games that didn’t involve combat.
Why did I Stop Gaming?
I was still a huge Sims fan right up until Sam was born in 2011. Then I swapped gaming for Blogging. I keep looking at the stack of Xbox 360, Wii, DS, and PC games and wondering if it’s time to get rid of them. Then I remember how much I loved playing them and shove them back into drawers, ready for the caped crusaders to play in a few years. I think Super Mario Bros. 3 is definitely my favourite ever computer game. What’s yours?
What Now?
This post was originally written in July 2013. This was when the kids were 1 and 2 years old. Now they are 11 and 12, and life has changed a lot! My son is classically Autistic and has learning disabilities. He’s not into gaming but does love playing apps on his Amazon Kids Tablet. My Daughter is 11, and spent years loving her Nintendo Switch and online games like Roblox. She still plays, but not to the extent she used to.
I have to confess though – I miss computer games massively. I do play some games on my phone, but my MacBook Pro is my work laptop, so I don’t want to start blurring the lines between work and play. So with that in mind, I’ve been considering finally getting a desk sorted, so I can get myself a Gaming PC. Not that I’ll be playing anything too demanding – at least to start with.
I’d love to get back into The Sims though, and possibly even join Syd on Minecraft. I’m sure she’d be thrilled at her mum jumping in with her and her friends, right?!
Do you find yourself saying I miss computer games from the 90s and 00s too? Let me know in the comments!
