Sounds pretty darn a-okay to me
Fancy the greatest classic gaming selection of all time? It’s not at some fabled arcade where the sound of dropping quarters and eight-bit music drowns out the dimmed oldies rock station playing over the worn out speakers. No, instead, it’s only a new browser tab away.
The Internet Archive, which last year began digitally storing console games of yesteryear, recently switched its attention to classic arcade titles. As of this week, there are more than 900 retro arcade games to choose from, all available for play in common Internet browsers without the need for third-party add-ons.
Jason Scott, the head of the initiative, doesn’t expect all 900 titles to get much play. “Obviously, a lot of people are going to migrate to games they recognize and ones that they may not have played in years. They’ll do a few rounds, probably get their asses kicked, smile, and go back to their news sites,” he said.
For what it’s worth, Scott’s probably right. Still, there’s an odd sense of comfort knowing that you could fire up a run of Galaga or Pac-Man any time you want. You might not exercise that ability all that often, but the option’s there.
Internet Arcade [Internet Archive via PCWorld]
