SUPER-DOUBLE UPDATE: There’s been a remarkable – and remarkably selfless – twist! Rogueywon has insisted I pass the PS5 Jedi: Survivor code onto someone else, because they already have a copy on PC. Isn’t that nice? That means Bel Siebert, you are now the proud owner of the game!
UPDATE 3RD MAY: After much deliberation, a winner has been decided upon, and it’s Rogueywon! You could say Rogueywon the prize.
Their experience of the old TIE Fighter game was something I’d never heard before, or considered, and it reinforces the unique power games have to put us inside perspectives we haven’t considered before, and open our eyes to them. So thank you again for the thought-provoking memory.
But it was a close-run thing! I want to give a shout-out Bel Siebert, whose memory of a family Star Wars gaming experience really warmed my heart; Spazdarn, whose memory made me burst out laughing; 35antonio, whose memory showcased how powerful unexpected and unintended gameplay experiences can be; Fahrenheit, who I can picture hiding in their DIY X-Wing den; captaind2080, whose final line made me snort with laughter; Weebleman, whose memory shows that there are still powerful new gaming experiences to be had; and MrZappa, who’s still not sure if it was a bug that he encountered, but has a lifelong memory – and a shared one with a sibling – because of it.
Also, shout out to jps0227 and Szhival for sharing memories from Brazil and Poland – places where consoles and games weren’t as readily available at the time. It’s eye-opening to see gaming history from another perspective.
These are by no means all of the memories that entertained me, so thank you again to everyone who shared theirs – I really did have a lovely time reading them. For some reason, I hadn’t considered the unique power Star Wars has to continually inspire new generations of game-players, and straddle so many generations, until now. Given that Star Wars is roughly as old as gaming, though, and how similar its appeal is, perhaps it should be no surprise, though. Long may it continue!