If you played games in the 1990s, you grew up in a fundamentally different world from modern players. You never took anything for granted and playing your favorite games, especially over LAN, was always a challenge.
But what are the signs that you’re a 90s gamer through and through? How can you tell that this was a world that you grew up in?
That’s what we explore in this article. We look at some of the indications that you might still be a 90s gamer at heart, even though it’s the 2020s.
Your TV was bulky with scan lines, but you loved it
One of the ways you can tell you’re a 90s gamer is if your TV was a bulky CRT and had scanlines, but you still loved it anyway. Many 90s gamers preferred the faster response times on CRTs compared to modern flat-panel televisions. This was what allowed them to dominate in games like Quake II and Unreal Tournament. Modern 4K screens just don’t seem to offer the same punchiness or responsiveness as the old CRTs, which is why a lot of 90s gamers still keep them around.
Finishing a game felt epic
Another sign you’re a 90’s gamer is if you have the sense that completing a game feels epic. These days, completing games is almost pedestrian and something that’s expected, but in the past it was never guaranteed. The difficulty level was often so high that a lot of gamers simply flaked off before they were able to complete games. For example, Ocarina of Time’s Water Temple or the ninja garden were such extreme feats of player brilliance that only a select few ever managed them. Even simple games like Super Mario Land were challenging to complete because of the limitations of the technology and design of the games themselves. If you didn’t have the skill, then you would often be sent back to the start.
LAN parties were your peak gaming experience
Another sign you’re a 90s gamer is if LAN parties were your peak gaming experience. These were essential before the days of Wi-Fi and easy online connectivity.
LAN parties were problematic because of BIOS fiddling and making sure that everybody’s computers were synced up. You also had to use physical cables to make games work, but once you got into Quake and were on Doom, playing against your friends was nothing more fun. It was a completely new experience being in an arena with other human shooters.
Because of this, LAN parties were the sort of thing that lasted all day long. It was common for players to spend 36 hours in a dark room together without emerging for anything other than the pizza delivery at 7pm.
You can name all the original Pokémon
You could also be a 90s gamer if you can name all 151 original Pokémon. Being able to name all of these was essential when the Pokémon card game was all the rage. However, it was also critical whenever you got into a battle with another Pokémon video game player on their Game Boy.
If you’re not sure you can remember all the original Pokémon, then try reminding yourself. You’ll often find that it all comes back to you very quickly.
You know all the old Windows games
You might also be a 90s gamer if you know all of the old Windows games. Many players became obsessed with titles like solitaire and Minesweeper. Becoming good at these was almost a sign of status in many offices across the world. People competed endlessly to see how quickly they could complete games, or master the Windows basic options.
What’s interesting is that games like Solitaire weren’t particularly popular before the 1990s. It wasn’t until after their inclusion in Windows that they suddenly started to become well-known. That was when they managed to take off.
Batteries dying mid-game was a soul-crushing experience
These days, it’s hard to imagine batteries dying mid-game. However, in the 1990s many gamers found that their games stopped working halfway through a Zelda dungeon or a Pokémon grind. When this happened, it often meant going back to the beginning and starting over.
What was interesting about gamers in the 1990s is that many were willing to do this. There weren’t as many rage quits back then as there are now.
Parents drove you to Blockbuster for rentals
Another thing that happened during the 1990s was that parents were willing to drive you to Blockbuster for rentals. You could get demo discs along with regular rentals and try out games before buying the full version. Back then, games were pretty expensive compared to income, so making the right choice was really important.
The only downside of rentals, of course, was that you had to use them quickly and get through games fast. This meant that gaming sessions would often go on late into the night.
Game manuals were epic tomes
Another feature of the 1990s was the fact that game manuals were epic tomes. If you ever played Sid Meier’s Civilization, you would have got the game within an entire book. The same is true of World of Warcraft, with masses of information on the lore and story-telling around the game’s missions and campaigns. Why gaming companies produced these enormous manuals is still not entirely clear, however they served as a way to make people more interested in games and turn them into an almost intellectual experience.
Arcades were a church
Finally, the final sign you’re a 90s gamer is that arcades became something of a church to you. You spent most of your time in front of flickering Street Fighter cabinets on the weekends, constantly inserting small change into them.
What was interesting about arcade games is that there was no opportunity to save. You simply had to grind your way through based on your own skill. This meant that every single gaming session was a high tension, a high stress experience where you had to perform.
