memes

It was an age without outlets for information. If you wanted to have a chance at figuring out that secret sauce to get to the next level or beat that boss, there was magazine or back issue roulette. There was admitting you suck to your cooler richer friends to beg them to tell you how to beat it. There was the tiny chance that the official guide you had to special order might mention the thing. Then there was the dialup internet where loading to the nipples of a single image took longer than most boys, and by the time the whole image loaded 1 in 3 was holding a self serviced d-pad controller of their very own. Times were different, and so were the frustrations. If you wanted to learn, you went to the library on the other side of town. People read newspapers for information and it had classified-craigslist that was like paying Twitter by the word to try and sell your broken junk. Those of us that didn't rage, blew on our cartridges like we were making a magical wish to a genie.