Video games are bad for you? That's what they said about rock and roll! - Shigeru Miyamoto

September 12,

National Video Games Day 

Okay, so I'm with you on this, "Really, there's a holiday for that?" The answer is yes! Some thirty-something who lives with his parents not only managed to make one holiday out or this, but it happens again on July 8 (Really?!) I have a six year old that would be devastated if I skipped this holiday, and besides Atari rocked (Pitfall anyone?)

On January 25, 1947, Thomas T. Goldsmith, Jr and Estle Ray Mann filed a US patent request for an invention they described as a "cathode ray tube device." The patent, which was issued on December 14, 1948 was for a machine in which people used knobs and buttons to manipulate a cathode ray tube beam to simulate firing at "air-borne" targets. Space Invaders! In 1949-50, Charley Adama created a "bouncing Ball" game for MIT's Whirlwind computer, Hello Pong! Through out the fifties and sixties more and more games were popping up on college computer systems, most of these were games invented by individuals for hobby. Then came the glorious seventies!

In 1971 Galaxy Game was installed in the student union of Stanford University, this was the first ever coin operated gaming machine, and believe it or not only one was initially created. In 1972 Atari was founded, and they released the game Pong, this became the first widely successful arcade game ever, with Atari selling over 19,000 Pong machines. The blockbuster Space Invaders was released in 1978.

The first video game console was released in 1972 by Magnavox, called the Magnavox Odyssey.      

  *1977 - Atari 2600 game console was released      *1980 - Namco released Pac-Man / Mattel released Intellivision     *1981 -  Nintendo released Donkey Kong, the game that would introduce the world to a guy named Mario. Konami introduced Frogger.    *1983 - Nintendo releases the NES      *1985 - Mario Bros was released selling over 40 million copies and reigning as the top selling video game until 2008.     *1988 - Sega Genisis     *1989 - Game Boy     *1990 Super NES     *1994 - Playstation     *1996 - Nintendo 64 and the Resident Evil game franchise began     *2001 -Microsoft Xbox / Nintendo releases Game Cube and Gameboy Advance.     *2004 - Nintendo DS     *2005 - Xbox 360     *2009 - Playstation 3 and Nintendo Wii are released within 8 days of each other.

Wow! No wonder kids are over weight! How many of these did you own? I'm guilty as well.

So here's to misspent youth, carpel tunnel, video gamer's thumb and forty year old virgins everywhere! If there is a world without Mario, I don't want to be apart of it!     

Both of these amazing concoctions are courtesy of http://thedrunkenmoogle.com - It's a great website!

For the gamer in my life I chose his favorite two games to represent, they also happen to be two of all time most popular games as well. So sit back enjoy these drinks and relive your youth playing a couple of your favorite games! Do they make Ms. Pac-Man for Wii or Xbox 360?

Warp Pipe (Super Mario Bros. Cocktail)

Ingredients:

1oz.  Blue Curacao

1/2 bottle Mike’s Hard Limeade

.75 oz.  Melon Liqueur

1/2 Lime (cut into wedges)

Directions:

 Cut lime into four wedges.  

Squeeze the lime juice into a highball glass and then drop them in the bottom. 

 Add some ice over top the limes, then pour in the Blue Curacao. 

 Add the Mike’s Hard Limeade until the glass is almost full, then top with your Melon Liqueur. 

 Stir a bit with a straw and enjoy.  

Don't over do the Melon, otherwise you lose the lime flavor

Sonic the Hedgehog (Sonic the Hedgehog shot)

Ingredients:

.25 oz. Grenadine

.5 oz. Menthomint Schnapps

(Can substitute Peppermint Schnapps)

1 oz. Blue Curacao  

Directions:

 Pour in the grenadine first.  

Then layer the Mentholmint schnapps and Blue Curacao on top, in that order.  

Take it down faster than the Blue Blur himself.  

Remember any of these games?

Thank You Mario! But Our Princess is in Another Castle!

You Have Died of Dysentery!

Finish Him!

I Feel Asleep!

It's in the Game!

Wakka Wakka Wakka...

It's Dangerous to Go Alone! Take this!

Here We Go!

It's Time to Kick Ass & Chew Bubble Gum, & I'm All Out of Gum.

“If Pac-Man had affected us as kids, we'd all be running around in dark rooms, munching pills and listening to repetitive electronic music.” 
―Marcus Brigstocke