Decalogue of the console player in the 90s, the 10 commandments that were in force always and everywhere

A visit to a stylized apartment in the '90s inspired me to memories. In addition to the banals in the style of "in the past everything was simpler " or " people were once more nice " I remembered playing on the first consoles. First Pegasus, then PSX ... these were great times, in some respects diametrically different from modern console playing. So I sip a glass of orange juice, take the gum-ball into my mouth and think about how it used to be.

Cenedze deserves a lot of applause for the great staging. The Polish distributor of the retro-console SEGA Mega Drive Mini has really tried to turn the apartment in Warsaw's Saska Kępa into a social flat in the style of the 90s. Such with wall unit, working CRT TV, flower on the receiver and a lot of props from the past century. There was a colorful orangeade on the table, there were Turbo gums, nasty jellies and lots of other "delicacies" from previous years. In such a specific place it was difficult to escape from my own memories.

So that's how I sat and started to think. I remembered the times of playing together on Pegasus and PSX. The rules, dependencies and customs that took place then. I am curious if your experiences were similar to mine. I arranged the whole decalogue of rights that we followed together with friends in the 90s, discovering such hits as Tekken 3, Crash Bandicoot, WipeOut, Metal Gear Solid, Gran Turismo or Tomb Raider:

And the law of the first falls

When people of the 90s were putting on playing together, the console owner had the sanctified privilege of being the natural evolution of the first night: the law of the first rain. The host was the first to choose the controller that he would control. Usually, he indicated the original, the most durable and the best model. Often coming directly from the set with the console. The guests could not protest, because to take his favorite pad from the host, it's how to put the groom on his wedding.

The right of the first heir was inextricably linked to the right of the heir. When the hosts were two or more, the elder always chose the controller first. The younger siblings, the more technically inferior and technically worse the pads came into their hands. Most often they were models from the market, variegated in color, light, often devoid of vibrations or analogs. They broke down on average after two or three weeks. But hey - they had a turbo button!

II. The law of superior silence

https://youtu.be/DIxUScfOQwg

In the 1990s, there was a systematic situation in which everything stayed in place. It literally died in time. The players gathered in front of the TV were holding their breath. Birds outside the window stopped tweaking. The child in the wheelchair ended up crying. Even the neighbor from downstairs interrupted the beating of meat for chops. I am talking about the moment when a white screen with the golden Sony Computer Entertainment logo appeared on the TV screen.

When after a few of the most exciting seconds in life, another logo appeared - this time the PlayStation symbol on a black background - everyone was relieved with relief. Outside the window, chirps were heard again. The rhythmic jeb jeb again made itself felt lower. Over. The laser worked. The disc has been loaded. It will be played! Unfortunately, such situations have not always been successful. When the console was dying on a white screen, the process of blowing, puffing, cleaning discs and prayers began. Especially prayers.

III. The Law of Cyńgejm

https://youtu.be/RxiS93eDcnk

A complete opposite of the law of the superior silence was the law of the cynesgée. This only applies to games created by EA Sports studio, such as FIFA, NBA or NHL. When the well-known Electronics logo appeared on the CRT TV screen, each of the gathered had to speak out loud to the magic invocation:

AND EJ SPORTS. CYNYGEJM!

To this day, none of the researchers is able to fully say what these magical words meant. However, it was true that the louder and more explicitly the mysterious formula was pronounced, the better it went later to the player in virtual hockey, football or basketball. Electronic gods were able to be kind to their followers.

PS The latest archaeological excavations in Chotyńce confirm that centuries ago a bloody conflict between the tribes of Tin and Son rolled through our lands. Did he have anything to do with the civic law? It is not known.

IV. First Eddy's law

In the nineties, each player had to be in contact with the Tekken 3 battles. Extremely popular bashing gained mass of followers, being a universal tool for resolving disputes, showing domination in the herd and fighting for females. Unfortunately, there was a sharp division among Tekken fans. Its reason was one of the playable warriors - Eddy Gordo - who fought using the impressive capoeira.

According to our ancestors, playing as Eddy was enough to press random buttons, and miracles worked on the screen. The warrior was waving his legs, he was blending the sequences, and he had a lot of speed and great range. In a word: you did not have to be able to play Tekken to win as Eddy. For this reason, the first law was created. It assumes that the dancing Gordo is excluded from outside PvP tournaments and competitions. However, the host always had the final opinion on this matter.

V Second Eddy's law

Contemporary lawyers and jurisprudents would have a great problem to understand thoroughly the complex system of rules, orders and prohibitions of the 1990s. For here the second law of Eddy was a complete denial of the first law. According to the second law, Gordo could be chosen as any other warrior of the third Tekken. Without any restrictions.

The analysis of Iron Age artifacts proved that only the best, most skillful players allowed Eddy's second law. Those who were not afraid of the pretenders in the race for the crown and which were supported by the experience of hundreds, not thousands of won battles. For them, Eddy Gordo was like any other warrior who also has a number of weaknesses and gaps.

VI The law of legends and deaf phone

People in the 90s did not have universal access to the Internet. At least in the first half of this period. Hence, there were many misstatements, false information and messages whose verbal credentials could not be verified in the oral communications of the then gaming community. Players even claimed the right to reproduce and color the myths and legends transmitted during joint meetings in front of the console. The most interesting myths encountered by scientists include:

Lara Croft can be dismantled - apparently my uncle's brother's cousin has a special version of Tomb Raider, in which you can undress the main heroine. However, Adrian from 4B has a code that makes Lara in the same underwear. He just lost it. But he will certainly find (the myth turned out to be false).

PlayStation Mouse - it was said that a special mouse was released to the PSX. What's more, you could use it in FPS games like on PC, by controlling a dipstick in DOOM or Quake II. Of course, nobody had or even seen it with their own eyes (the myth turned out to be the truth).

Aerith from FFVII can be saved - one of the most shocking scenes in Final Fantasy VII was the death of the heroine Aerith. Fortunately, the girl can be resurrected later. Truth? Truth? Unfortunately, not true, although initially the producers themselves considered this type of opportunity (the myth turned out to be false).

VII. Extraterritorial Australian law

Our ancestors were very creative and creative. Unfortunately, not everything came out exactly as they would like it. The best example of this was the first version of the PlayStation. Exactly her laser, which after a while became very unreliable. All through the temperatures achieved in the interior of the device. The plastic cover of the optics liked to bend under the influence of heat, so that the laser began to fall on the CD at the wrong angle.

To solve this problem you had to buy a newer version of PSX with better heat dissipation and other protective materials, or ... put the console upside down. In this way, the laser eye returned to its place, while the beam fell perpendicular to the carrier. Hence the unusual view of devices lying on the backs, with rubber inserts on top. These types of fish were both a sign of resourcefulness and courage and desperation.

VIII. The law of colored memory

The official Sony PlayStation accessories were not cheap. This was true for both controllers and memory cards. Hence the common law justifying the purchase of more economical substitutes. Colorful, variegated gadgets were available at trade fairs and electronics stores. These types of memory cards even had screens displaying information about free slots and blocks. Cosmos.

Behaviorists point out that only a small part of the players from the 90s knew how to jump between slots (usually from 1 to 8) containing blocks of memory writeable. Recently restored books show a mysterious ritual using the open drive cover in the PlayStation console. However, it sounds incredible.

IX Right from under the counter

Balcerowicz said that not everyone has to be able to afford a ham, but for God - he did not mention anything about the wild prices of video game console games. The rates were completely disproportionate to the average Polish remuneration. This disproportionality for anger was expressed in the size of the boxes to which the original PC games and consoles were packaged. The cartons were gigantic.

In collision with the capitalist oppressors, the people of the 90s had to look for alternatives. A second circulation, dealing in pirate gaming copies, was created immediately. It was amazing, however, that this second circulation was connected to the first circuit. I am referring here to the memories of my ancestor, Symeon Radzewicz, who recollects visits to game stores:

The first step was to enter with a dignified step, self-confident, with arms folded on his back. The original boxes were watched, tried not to pay attention to the price. I was reaching for a cardboard box from Tomb Raider 2, clearing my throat and saying that I would like to buy such a game. Only that it's a bit cheaper. For example, for PLN 20. And it's best at 15. In this second, the shop assistant pulled a large file folder from under the counter, and there were dozens of printed pages.

New products after 30 or 40 PLN. Good games and classics for PLN 20 each. Crapy after PLN 10. But it was not that you pointed the game and you got it. What is not this. You had to wait your own time. So it left cash, and then it came two or three days later. The lady pulled a disc in an envelope, obviously from under the counter, while Lara Croft continued smiling at the client, posing from the carton for 1/4 of the payment.

X The law of oblivion

The world of technology is aging with astonishing speed. That's why I remember less and less from the time when together with friends we sat in front of a pirate Pegasus or a converted PlayStation. That's why I'm interested in what you remember customs, rituals and rules. What kind of consoles you had. What are your best memories and favorite games. If you would like to share something with a great desire and pleasure, I will read about it in the comments.

Decalogue of the console player in the 90s, the 10 commandments that were in force always and everywhere