Its friday afternoon, just gone 4pm. I know this without a watch, even though i have a wicked black one with light up red LEDs, because its 1982 and I was just out of school. Every day I took some of my lunch money and saved it and today I saved the lot. I am hungry but with what I kept in the week plus the full amount today I can walk down the road to the newsagent and hit that ZX Spectrum bargain bin. Tapes are around a pound each, some are classic titles that are now six months old has-beens and some are random titles that are clones of arcade classics. I can afford about three of them and still buy some pick and mix sweets. Tonight when my parents are home I get my weekly pocket money too but that gets me to town and Bradleys music shop for a couple of 7″ singles for the record player. You see, music is allowed. For some reason music is me being mature (even though all I buy is punk and prog) but games? Goodness no, not allowed to buy games. Luckily my parents are about as watchful and interested in my life as most parents and they never even question where I get my tapes from or what with!
I walk home. a longer route than my usual Monday through Thursday because the cheap newsagents is on the other side of the village. Get in, Parker off and raid the cupboard for a tin of HP beans, slap them in the pan whilst checking the clock. Dad isn’t home for another hour at best, probably two and mum is down my nans doing whatever mums and nans do. I suspect its tea and gossip but I don’t really care. Beans done, in a bowl with a spoon at my desk, glass of Ice Cream Soda from the village pop and bottler, damn thats good stuff. Spectrum is turned on, the little black and white portable lights up with its familiar prompt. Its time!
A few minutes later, the warbling over I get my first glimpse at one of the new ZX Spectrum games I just purchased and no matter the game I am happy. Some of the worst jank ever was played in those moments and I lived them more than anything I have since, eating my penny chews at the same time as spooning in mouthfuls of HP beans and swallowing them down wholesale with my cream soda, or sometimes an R Whites Lemonade if it was on sale. I have maybe another hour before I pretend to use my computer for homework and then a lovely weekend of sneaky games, buying records and being told I need to get out more and play soccer with my mates… who were also inside playing video games! Sunday I maybe copied a couple of the new games to a blank tape and swapped it on Monday in the morning break with mates for different games.
Those were the days!
Did you ever do this? How did you buy games?
Nice one, enjoyed reading that.
Thankfully I never had to hide my Speccy games but I did enjoy getting cheap games, whether it was from bargain bins, budget releases, cover tapes or *ahem* c90s.