Growing Up in the 1980s: Things My Kids Should Know About My Childhood (Part 4)

Now it's time to conclude this series with a look back at my favorite '80s games-video games, computer games and board games. And what was so different about playgrounds and outdoor playtime in the 1980s? Wouldn't you like to know? These articles are dedicated to my children, who sometimes ask me questions about things I did when I was their age. To them, I'm ancient, having grown up in the 1980s, before the birth of Pokémon and Netflix.

My Favorite Video Games and Computer Games in the 1980s
Kids, when I was your age, video games did exist, but they looked nothing like the video games you have today. We had an Atari-I believe it was an Atari 2600-in the early '80s, and I occasionally played games on my dad's computer. My favorite games were Pac-Man, Frogger, and Donkey Kong. I never beat any of those games. Keep in mind, we couldn't save our game progress. We had three lives, unless we were lucky enough to collect a 1-up, and that was it. After we died three times, we had to start over from the beginning. It was brutal. If my brother or I had to go somewhere while we were in the middle of a game and doing really well, we'd pause the game and turn off the TV, but leave the game console turned on so we could resume the game once we got home

We got a Nintendo Entertainment System for Christmas 1988 or '89, after a lot of begging. Every kid wanted an NES in the late '80s. Ours was a bundle pack that came with two plug-in controllers and Super Mario Bros. The bundle pack may have also included a Zapper (gun) and Duck Hunt or Hogan's Alley. I absolutely loved Super Mario Bros. and did eventually beat it, with and without warping (warp zones allow Mario or Luigi to skip certain parts, so it's harder to beat the game without warping). Nothing was better than Super Mario Bros., in my opinion, but I also enjoyed these NES games: Mike Tyson's Punch-Out (I think I did beat Mike Tyson...once), Rad Racer, The Legend of Zelda, Kid Niki, Kid Icarus, Castlevania, Mega-Man, Tetris (which I also played on the computer), and Dr. Mario. My husband would add Excitebike to my list.

In an earlier article, I mentioned my favorite games that we played in the computer lab at my grade school: Oregon Trail and Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?

One of the best games I played on my dad's computer in the late '80s was King's Quest IV: The Perils of Rosella. My brother and I also thought all the Leisure Suit Larry games were hilarious. In those computer adventure games, we had to use the keyboard to type in our commands. "Open the door." "Drink the medicine." "Ride the horse." "Buy beer." Stuff like that. Leisure Suit Larry would pee and fart on command, much to our delight. Princess Rosella was a bit more refined.

I spent hours and hours, late at night, designing cities in SimCity on the computer. Technically, that would have been in the early '90s, but I'll mention it here since SimCity was released in 1989. I couldn't get enough of that game. I was a very good city planner and mayor. I played later versions of SimCity, too, but never enjoyed them as much as the original.

My Favorite Board Games in the 1980s
In the early 1980s, it seemed like everyone had a Rubik's Cube. My dad was the only person in our household to ever solve that puzzle.

My favorite board games in the 1980s were Candy Land, Clue, Monopoly, Battleship, and Connect Four. I always wanted Hungry Hungry Hippos, Mouse Trap, Operation, and Simon, but we never got them. My brother and I loved our travel-size versions of Guess Who? and Yahtzee. We got Jenga when it was still a new game being advertised on TV all the time. Trivial Pursuit was another hot, new board game in the '80s.

Outdoor Playtime in the 1980s
Kids, when I was your age, no one obsessed over the safety of the playground equipment at all our public parks. We had tall, steep, fast metal slides. None of that wussy plastic Little Tikes stuff. The metal would get really hot on sunny days, and it could burn our thighs if we were wearing short shorts, but we didn't care-whee! We had teeter-totters that lifted us high and merry-go-rounds with rusty screws sticking out all over the place.

I can't think of a single park in my town that still has a merry-go-round or teeter-totter. (Here's a nice little blog on the subject: "The Death of the Playground Merry-Go-Round.") The playground equipment of my childhood is obviously too dangerous-and awesome-for the children of today. Sorry, kids! I guess you'll never know what you're missing.

I shouldn't tell you guys this, but, when I was your age, we rode our bikes without helmets, we rode skateboards without helmets or knee pads or elbow pads, and we jumped on big trampolines that didn't have safety nets around them. At school during recess, we often played Red Rover, which my son tells me he's never played, presumably because it's too violent or dangerous.

I'm so glad I survived to have kids of my own. To Zach and Audrey: I hope you guys have enjoyed learning about Mommy's childhood! I could tell you even more about the 1980s, but I think our family photo albums speak volumes. I won't even try to explain the fashions or the hair...You guys can draw your own conclusions.

Sources:
Wikipedia.com
My own sweet memories

Related Articles by Maria Roth:
Growing Up in the 1980s...Part 1
Growing Up in the 1980s...Part 2
Growing Up in the 1980s...Part 3
Totally Awesome '80s Poem

Recommended Reading:
My dad, Mike Oberg, recently shared some of his childhood memories in a series of fascinating articles. To read about his life in tiny Savonburg, Kansas, in the early 1960s, click the links below:

Growing Up in Savonburg in the Sixties, Part 1
Growing Up in Savonburg...Part 2
Growing Up in Savonburg...Part 3
Growing Up in Savonburg...Part 4
Growing Up in Savonburg...Part 5