Soldier like traits 90’s gamers’ minds and bodies were attuned to
Assuming that the 90’s arcade gamers’ ages starts from the 7-year-old kid; right up to, and including the 18-year-old demographic, the following strongly applies. Round 1; 7 traits of the 90’s arcade gamer, fight!
Standers – arcade cabinets in this era especially, was standing room only, as a player, and as a spectator. Serious gamers never cared about sitting. School holidays were a testament to the endurance of 90’s arcade gamers who played almost the entire day, into a shop opening. Pac Man I hear them say.
Rebellious – this was against peer and parents’ authority to come home a certain time, but they never feared getting a beating. The beating of a teacher, also added to this, was a badge of honor. Heck, this author, dodged school in Grade 3, to play his favorite Airwolf (Skywolf) game at the time.
Helpful – making sure other gamers reach the score that enables that 1up (or freeman as known in South African lingo), to allow further progress in any game. Shinobi was a game that required having many lives, because when completing stages in the Masked Ninja mission, the continue function was not available.
Obsessive – completing a game indeed was the primary objective, but certain games like Snow Bros for one, had a nagging distinction of one getting dollars in every stage (except the bosses) bar the completion. You would be the talk on school playgrounds for achieving such a feat.
Hunger-less – having your neighbor relay a message from your parents that you need to eat lunch and/or supper or both. The arcade fighter plane shooter; USAAF Mustang, with its World War feel in music and boss battles, found one playing as if they were on real life rations.
Nomadic – if the adept’s favorite video game was on the far end of town, he would walk to that shop (takeaway or tearoom as is known in KwaZulu-Natal) to enjoy “clearing” that game; as was the real-life case with the classic Contra back then.
Resourceful – certain arcade titles just had some gamers fascinated and in love per se. Love to the point of spending double their money, to play a game like Bubble Bobble, because playing as Bub, had a cap on how many 1ups you could get, but Bob could “extend” lives unlimitedly.
Some titles above are circa the late 80’s, but in the South African context, they arrived in the 90’s.