Technology has always been a part of man’s life ever since
history began. It may take different forms as time goes by and it may function
differently as newer technologies emerge, but one thing always remains no
matter when you are, technology plays an important role in our lives.
In fact, all of us have had a moment to experience
technology during our childhood. I guess we just don’t appreciate it nowadays
with all our gadgets, phones, laptops and tablets. So to refresh your memories,
here are a few techie toys from the decade that was.
Nintendo Family
Computer
Otherwise known as the Nintendo Entertainment System or NES
is the iconic gaming console of the 90s. Unlike today’s hard drive based or
Disc based gaming systems, the NES used cartridges which children blow air with
their mouths whenever the system fails to load the game. The NES came with two
controllers equipped with a 4-way navigational button, and 2 action buttons
(labeled A and B).
The NES was the best-selling gaming console of its time and
was later named in 2009 by American gaming website, IGN as the single greatest
video game console in history.
Tamagotchi
The tamagotchi was the first digital pet to be introduced in
the Philippines. It was first sold by Bandai in 1996 in Japan and slowly went viral
all over the world. The object of the game is to raise a virtual animal or
other type of living being from its birth, usually as an egg to adult stage.
On top of that, the owner of a tamagotchi is required to
perform tasks or chores related to the development of the pet including
bathing, feeding, and playing with the virtual pet. The tamagotchi can also get
sick so it is the duty of the owner to cure him and help it recover. If the
virtual pet dies or in any case that the owner wants to start over, a button
can be pressed to reset the entire process.
The Brick Game
The brick game is the one of the affordable gadget in the
90s. With a price tag not exceeding 200 pesos, a lot of kids and even adults in
the 1990s was able to enjoy this gaming device. The brick game allows the user
to play a monochrome version of tetris on a small LCD screen with buttons
similar to the NES.
Nintendo Game Boy
For those who were looking for a portable version of the
NES, the Nintendo Gameboy offers the best of both worlds with functionality
comparable to the NES but with a form factor very similar to the brick game.
Just like the NES, games for the Gameboy are stored in a
cartridge and owners can buy and swap game titles whenever a new game is
released. It also has the same navigational and action buttons as the NES and
the brick game. It was usually powered by four AA batteries but a separate
AC/DC adapter can be purchased for use in longer periods of time.
Electronic Dictionary
Another gadget that kids in the 90s were fond of is the
electronic dictionary. Although it wasn’t really designed to be used as an
entertainment device, its word game features was a hit for kids back then.
It’s definitely cheaper than a Gameboy but offers more
functionality than a brick game. Furthermore, it can be brought to school
without any problems with strict teachers and school administrators of that
decade. If you’ve own one of these electronic devices or you classmate had one,
I’m sure that you remember playing “Hang Man” or some sort of word guessing
game during recess and lunch breaks.
And that’s it folks! Did we miss something? If you had the
opportunity to play other techie games and toys that were not listed in this
post back in the days, please tell our readers about it by leaving a comment
below. You can also add TFL on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest, or subscribe to
our RSS feeds for other Filipino Lifestyle related stories.
