by Pete Wright
In 1983, when the video game Dragon’s Lair was released, I was 11.
The video arcade was on Nevada Avenue. It was next door to Fantasy Adult Video. While the video games in the arcade were not of the adult nature, the dumpster behind the facility certainly was. In a related story, a Canadian university has been unable to track down men in their 20′s who have not been exposed to adult content. I’d like to thank the Fantasy Adult Video dumpster and my friends Dogan and John for making me ineligible for that particular study today.
On Saturday mornings they had four-buck all-play at the arcade until 1:00 in the afternoon. We’d be there at 8:00 sharp, armed with our $4.00 in quarters and pockets full of LemonHeads and Cherry Clans to see us through the morning. Even today, it’s not hard to remember the menu for those long Saturday mornings. Burgertime. Moon Patrol. Robotron 2084. Those were warm-up games. Dig Dug and Joust were appetizers. For me, a good round of Q*bert would find its way into the morning, but Tron and (amen) Pole Position were meat and potatoes.
Then, 1983 happened. Out of nowhere we saw Gyruss, Maro Bros., Spy Hunter, Star Wars. Revolutionary. For the first time, I was Kevin Flynn, jacking into the world of these games that was so real I could reach out and touch their pixellated edges. That is, until Dragon’s Lair.
For me, Dragon’s Lair was less of a game than it was a nemesis. It tested not skill and bravery, but raw reflex and focus. At the time, I was having and 11-year-old’s difficulty with not only reflex and focus, but also gross space. So, while I was not paying attention to important things, I was also failing to duck swinging cranes and running into things. Dragon’s Lair tested my nerves where they were most raw.
This is my generation. It’s the generation of men raised in the space too distracted by moving images to really get lost in comic books. It’s the generation of men who find as much classical fantasy in Homer as in Lucas and Speilberg (circa “E.T.” and less “Shindler’s List”). It’s the generation of men who, on seeing Dragon’s Lair available for their iPhones today, don’t think twice about clicking “buy”.
Today’s downloadable Dragon’s Lair is in too many ways exactly like the the cabinet game that bullied me growing up. It’s still a time sink — I’m only almost sure today is still Monday. More dreadfully, it tests all the same nerves now that it chaffed 26 years ago. And even as I’m finding myself tripping over things one time too many, and taking a few knocks to the head on low cabinets tonight, I’m thankful for the gift that today’s Dragon’s Lair download has given me. It’s a reminder of so many good times with friendships that are indelible to time.
One might say, … indelible to the Sands of Time, mightn’t one?
