The other weekend, I went back in time. No, I did not steal Doc Brown’s supped up Delorean! A friend and I played an old two man coin operated shooter video arcade game named Metal Slug. I am the sentimental type, but lately with my hectic schedule, I haven’t had much time to reminisce because I’m too busy telling friends about their 401k. Strangely enough, this game really whisked me back to my carefree days of yesteryear.
Teamwork and Camaraderie
When we were growing up, my friends and I spent countless hours at the arcade. We loved the two man shooters. I probably didn’t think too much about it at the time, but looking back, these games really developed our teamwork. You could barrel ahead grabbing all the bonuses and special weapons to increase your score. But the two of us went further ahead if we took turns grabbing the weapons, picking up the extra health, rescuing prisoners, and other bonuses.
No matter the game, attackers would come from all angles. Ideally one would take out the ground troops while the other took out the paratroopers. The term “I got your back” sticks out as enemies often came from the backside. We really had to join forces at the end of every level where the Big Boss waited. We had to strategically unleash hell with a barrage of bullets, grenades, rockets, and smart bombs. I still chuckle at how much noise we made. “Look out! Don’t get too greedy! Grab the rocket launcher!”
Final Thoughts
For a brief moment in time, I felt like a kid again. We shouldn’t forget our carefree days just because we are now busy adults. If I ever have a kid, I sure hope they develop childhood friends like I have. When they are old enough, we will have to hunt down an old video arcade where they can develop their teamwork and camaraderie. Some of my fondest memories came from those games my friends and I would hit every weekend. It also kept us out of trouble. Perhaps you can sneak in a game or two and take a trip back in time yourself. It will be the best quarter you ever spent!
What’s your favorite video arcade game? If you don’t have one, what was your favorite childhood pastime?
Stay Inspired!
Buck
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My favorite game was by far Contra for Nintendo.
I was suspecting an analogy to how this teamwork should carry over into our personal finances, but you didn’t go there. Not explicitly so. You definitely got me thinking though. 
Contra rocks! I normally do tie it with personal finances or blogging. I’m slacking, haha! But seriously, you could actually apply this concept to many aspects of life. I’m glad it got you thinking and thanks for stopping by!
I loved PacMan! No teamwork other than my friends crowding around me with incessant commentary!
That’s too cool! Young MC and friends huddled around Pac Man. Good times!
Space Invaders, Atari style. I recall thinking the tracer rounds I was shooting were the coolest thing ever. Pac Man comes in a very close second. Fruit Ninja doesn’t even compare.
Oh space invaders remind me of asteroids and tempest! Haven’t heard of fruit ninja, funny name, haha!
We played games outside or in bad weather we played board games. This is prior to electronic games. Pin ball games were for older kids. PacMan and Pong were out during my adult days.
Interesting how the games differ by generations. Never got into board games, but appreciate them more now!
I was more into sports when younger, so this translated into baseball cards. Of course, I actively bought and sold them:)
That’s not to say I didn’t like games. There were some I liked, way back in the day. PacMan and Galaga come to mind. Old school, right:)
I did have an experience with both games recently (within the last year) when we were at a local Japanese restaurant that had a long wait. Interestingly, there was a sit down PacMan/Galaga combo game. I didn’t care how funny it might have looked being an adult (and parent), I still sat down, put quarters in it, and played. First time in 20 years, probably. I did remarkably well too. Like riding a bike, you just don’t forget it:)
Fun post, thanks for the distraction!
I was more into basketball cards and I threw them around or stuck them on my bike tire. Gallaga is fun. I liked when I doubled up for two spaceships! Sounds like you had a blast at the arcade. Distractions anytime!
An important article… I often wonder about how much I’ll look back and wish I had spent more of my adult life playing like a kid again. As for video games… I still have fond memories of Frogger!
Look out for the cars Frogger! We can’t forget to be a kid sometimes in our hectic adult world!
I know college grads now who talk about how great the people they played World of Warcraft with were – only they had never met most of them in real life.
My favorite “game” was Legos, although my family played a ton of Trivial Pursuit too, which is always a good time. My roommates and I now like to play Catch Phrase when we have enough guests over.
My friend loved Warcraft but I never played myself. Great list of games, need to check them out myself. I played with Legos, but wasn’t very creative.
I loved Frogger! My sister was always way better than me though. We had the Atari 5200 and went through paddles like they were water. The buttons constantly wore out from our aggressive competitiveness.
My Dad LOVED Pacman. Winner always continued playing and he would cycle through us kids all night long, never losing a game.
What fun! Thanks for bringing back those memories =)
-Andrea
Oh another Frogger fan! I had a Sears knock off of the Atari 2600. Wore your buttons down? Hard core gamer! Glad you enjoyed the post!
I remember playing Kool-aid Man on the Atari 2600! Combat was another Atari game that was actually 2-player. Wow…that seems like ages ago!
What was Kool-Aid Man? Too funny. Oooh Yah!!!
My absolute favorite game is Galaga. Now for two person games, my college roommate and I used to play Rampage quite a bit in the basement of the Student Union. There are many other games that I love as well. I really played a lot of video games growing up, but also had plenty of outdoor activities as well. I was quite busy and got a lot of things done.
I love old shooter games like Twin Cobra. I got all the way to the end and starts over again at double speed a couple of times. The best games for me are the ones that you can play for a while on one quarter as you get better. Bubble Bobble, Final Fight, and other games. I have a bunch of games on my old XBOX via emulation. awesome!
Remember some of these old games?
Bad dudes VS dragon ninjas
Heavy Metal with the spin stick
Cabal with the trackball
Good times.
Wow you got a great list of games! I have to refresh my memory. Heavy Barrel and Ikari Warriors were two of my favorites!
Life was simpler in those days.
You’re right. We shouldn’t forget our carefree days and we should try not to get too wound up in out current lives!