Showa Gamer

In this room, 2012 is 1992.

My pal Andy has constructed the ultimate shrine to Showa-era (1980s and early 90s) gaming in his spare bedroom, where nothing made after 1995 is allowed inside (ignore that iPhone) and the blips of 8- and 16-bit soundtracks fill the air. Complete with tube TV (a surprisingly difficult to find commodity in this day and age) tatami mats, and cartridges by the bagload. The only concession to modern technology are custom-made AV cables for top-notch video quality. Currently online: Famicom, Super Famicom, and Sega Mega Drive. Coming soon: PC Engine.

Comments

[The CronoLink]

I've heard tales of this mythical era in which I was born. ;)

[Craig]

This is actually my dream. Don't get me wrong, I had a great time in the US doing this exact thing when it was happening. But I've always longed to live that era in Japan. I bet it was even better. All of those import games in those EGM ads wouldn't BE impossibly expensive/difficult to get.

But a man can dream...

[MattAlt]

The vast majority of games are super cheap (like 100 yen a pop) at secondhand shops. I know they're all available as ROMs online but they're way more fun to play on the actual vintage hardware. Blowing the dust out of the cartridges, squinting to make out the font on screen... All part of the experience!