As someone who’s fascinated with the growth and evolution of the gaming industry, this collection of 1980’s game commercials is remarkable:
Seeing how the systems and games were marketing pre-bust is a window into how a nascent industry was trying to find it’s identity, by presenting gaming as a family room, whole household activity. When I was growing up the NES was connected to the living room TV and my parents would watch me play, and join in on the occasional Mario game, before shutting everything off so they could watch the news.
Keep an eye peeled for an early role of Phil Hartman’s, before his SNL fame days, and revel in the wood paneled goodness of early days Atari.
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