All the Video Game Consoles I’ve Ever Owned in Chronological Order, Pt. 1 of 4

Aug. 17, 2010

By Leigh Alexander info

Leigh Alexander is news director of industry trade site Gamasutra, and author of the Sexy Videogameland weblog. Her ...

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A four-part series in which Leigh Alexander chronicles every video game console she has every played. Find Part 2 here. Find part 3 here. Find part 4 here.

ColecoVision (circa 1982-1984)
A ColecoVision is a thing at which games press and assorted hobbyists nod sagely when it is presented in conversation by gray-haired veteran games developers. Further knowledge is rapidly tumbling into the realm of the apocrypha, but my Dad tells me I played this regularly while insisting in a fashion often accompanied by tantrums that I play something called ‘Juggles House.’

Upon hearing the word ‘ColecoVision’ I receive a vague visual memory of the white walls and sterile carpet of our finished basement ‘office/den/laundry room’, and an audio memory of my father speaking to me in a sweet voice, the way you talk to a two-year old, possibly calling me by the inexplicable nickname ‘Muffer’ and probably putting on something called ‘Juggles House’ for me to play. Unsure if the idea that there were three colors with which to render juggling balls are actual or informed by the power of suggestion.

Cursory Wikipedia research circa 2 minutes ago reveals that ‘Juggles House’ was in fact an Atari game and not a ColecoVision game. Similarly cursory image glances reveal vague recognition of absurdly large plastic controls. Third revelation: ColecoVision logo/font should be used in near-future glo-fi/’chillwave’ album art for nerd-retro value, as it may present more ‘obscure cred’ than the widely-used Atari logo.

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  • http://twitter.com/thefremen thefremen

    In before the haters!

    I remember when you posted those pics of you around the Old Computer a while back. It's amazing I've never played with any of these other systems though. You are quite the gamer.

  • nunhead

    Feel like author is 'familiar with' Tao Lin's writing.

    • Molly

      Yeah, no kidding.

  • Lucia

    I love this series and the other similar ones on here. Someone needs to do “All The Magazines I have Ever Subscribed To”

  • no u

    LOOK AT ME! I'M A GURL GAMER! CHECK OUT THESE SYSTEMS my dad USED TO HAVE! ATARI! TURBOGRAFX! YOU NERDS LOVE THAT SHIT RIGHT?! GIVE ME ATTENTION! UT? WATS THAT?! WOW AND PEGGLE ARE MY FAVOURITE GAMES LOL

    • tehtehteh

      owned

      • http://twitter.com/rislynsey christopher lynsey

        Did you really just give your own comment accolades?

      • http://twitter.com/rislynsey christopher lynsey

        That is so unchill.

    • YA U

      LOOK AT ME! I'VE NEVER MET A GURL! CHECK OUT MY RAGE AT THE FACT THAT SOMEBODY WRITES BETTER THAN I DO. WORLD OF WARCRAFT IS MY FAVOURITE (GUISE IM TOTALLY SOPHISTICATED AND BRITISH) GAME LOL

  • http://twitter.com/WellReadWife The Well-Read Wife

    I just strarted reading this series today. Nice job Leigh!
    I loved Atari. But I have this horrible memory of playing the very poorly rendered Indiana Jones game on Atari everyday for probably a year when I was in Maybe 2nd grade(?).

  • T4microsdr

    your mom

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