I’m currently looking for writers who might like to contribute articles to this “blogazine,” Vintage Computing and Gaming. If you have a passion for old computers or video games and like to write, then you’d be a great candidate. Of course, it’s not a paying job…I don’t get paid and I run the place. It’s a labor of love — for enthusiasts, by enthusiasts. If you have any unique ideas or insights about computers or gaming (especially the vintage kind) that you’ve always wanted to share with the world, now’s your chance. If you’re interested, email me and we’ll talk. Thanks!

You are about to witness a new experiment for Vintage Computing and Gaming…a full-fledged discussion board. It’s now up and running, so check it out!

I hope our forum can have a loose, friendly, all-inclusive atmosphere. I’m tired of forums that are filled with an elite, exclusive “old boys’ club” attitude that shuns new members who don’t know every esoteric detail about some computer / game system / whatever. As a result, as our forum grows and we get more established, I hope you can be as tolerant as possible to new members and those who might come looking for help on a situation that might seem “dumb” or “obvious” to you. Just remember that we were all in the same shoes once, knowing nothing at all about the world, much less computers and video games. Some of us were lucky enough to learn through the kindness and generosity of mentors and teachers who freely shared knowledge with us without feeling threatened. If you were graced with such fortune, think back and remember how it felt to be treated with equality and respect, despite your youth and inexperience. Now it’s your turn to pass on that knowledge, and that gift, to a new generation. Now you are the mentor.

All forums will be moderated by myself (or trusted persons I choose in the future), so please try to stay on topic. We have a wonderful place to talk about miscellaneous stuff called the “Off-Topic Forum” as well, so if your post is not about computers or video gaming in some way, post it there. Blatant personal attacks by members to other forum members will not be tolerated. Disagreeing with each other (or me) is perfectly fine, but please be civil. Once you hurl an insult — no matter how subtle a dig — or assign someone a negative label (i.e. call them a name), the flame wars are sure to begin. Keep these things in mind so we can douse the fires before they spread out of control.

Any suggestions about the forum are welcome at any time. I stocked the forum with some interesting VC&G-related avatars to get us started, and I’ll be starting more message topics in the days to come. I know the forum is really empty now, so any help you can provide in getting our new forum rolling will be incredibly, gratefully appreciated. Thanks a ton in advance, and have fun talking!

Starting today, I’ll be doing a weekly column called “Game Ads A-Go-Go” (the title was the GSW editor’s idea) over on the blog GameSetWatch that showcases good, bad, strange, funny, and interesting classic video game-related advertisements. My first column is on “Dumb Ads of the 90s” and is up now. Check it out!

Most of the ads featured in the column will be scanned from my massive early 1990s game magazine collection that I recently unearthed from deep-earth storage (my parents’ basement). The column itself is a partnership between GSW and VC&G, actually more of an extension of VC&G-style content exclusively on GSW. Why? I guess it’s because we love each other so much (read: “I’ve been bribed with a lifetime supply of chili hot dogs”). But never you mind, and don’t you worry — the fresh content from VC&G will continue to flow just as readily as before.

You may remember our popular feature on Mario Adventure a few weeks ago. Well, an intrepid fan named Greg Head has completed the first ever Mario Adventure FAQ and it’s now available for view on Vintage Computing and Gaming. The FAQ is mostly complete so far (except for some world walkthroughs) and Greg and I will be updating and improving it over time. You can send typo / editing / formatting errors to me, and content errors, improvements, or suggestions to Greg.

If you didn’t catch the link above, here’s where you can view the Mario Adventure FAQ.

This is just a quick note that I’ll probably expand later, but I’m currently looking for writers who might like to contribute articles to this “blogazine,” Vintage Computing and Gaming. If you have a passion for old computers or video games and like to write, then you’d be a great candidate. Of course, it’s not a paying job…I don’t get paid and I run the place. It’s a labor of love — for enthusiasts, by enthusiasts. If you have any unique ideas or insights about computers or gaming (especially the vintage kind) that you’ve always wanted to share with the world, now’s your chance. If you’re interested, email me and we’ll talk. Thanks!

There are really only three groups of vintage computing and gaming enthusiasts out there. One is the purist, who wants to maintain, restore, and operate his vintage systems in a historically authentic manner, using only the technology available at the time, one is the devoted user, who doesn’t care how you use the computer, as long as it gets the job done (perhaps better and faster than before), and then there’s the tinkerer / hacker who just wants to play around and push old systems to, and beyond, their designed limits.

I’m setting up a special page on Vintage Computing and Gaming to include a collection of links to pages for projects and products involving the interfacing and integrating of modern computing and electronics technology to older computers or game systems — either to replace failure-prone parts, to enhance their functionality, or “just because you can.” It’s intended mainly for the tinkerer type, but it could also easily be of interest to the devoted user as well.

I’m asking my fellow vintage computing and gaming enthusiasts to come forward and help me assemble this resource for our fellow enthusiasts out there. Additions, corrections, and dead link notices by sources in the online world will be incredibly helpful towards achieving this goal. Feel free to suggest links on the comments section of the page, or to contact me directly using the email link on the VC&G sidebar. I’ll be working on improving the organization of the list as it grows, so don’t worry.

Here are some suggestions of appropriate things to submit to the page: Ethernet adapters for old computers, modern hard drive / compact flash interfaces, floppy emulators, software design for a modern use on an old machine (i.e. an Atari 800 web server, or an Apple II web browser), new controllers and peripherals for old gaming systems, significantly new peripherals for old computers, CPU upgrades, old computer OS hacks and upgrades, modern clones and replacements for old parts, computers, or game systems, etc. All in all, don’t worry; just submit it and if it applies, I’ll add it to the list. Thanks so much for your help in advance.