I'm the first to admit it. I've been playing video games since the early 80's. I played them nearly non-stop throughout middle school, high school, and most of the time through college. Call it what you like: classic gamer, retro-gamer, old school gamer, or Atari baby. It's all the same thing.

Like many of you out there, I'm a retro-gamer. I have fond memories of playing Super Mario with the sound turned down so I wouldn't wake my parents - only to wake them up after shouting when Mario didn't jump when I pressed the friggin' button!

So how do you know if you're a retro-gamer? Here's some great clues to help you figure it out.

You know you're a retro-gamer if:

1. Your remember Atari used to make hardware.
2. You remember "software" was plastic cartridges.
3. You were considered an elite gamer if you could complete Super Mario Bros. in less than 10 minutes.
4. You know what Lode Runner is... and you've designed your own levels... on a Commodore 64.
5. You remember thinking Telengard was a great RPG.
6. Even though the Atari 2600 Pac-Man was one of the worst games ever made, you thought it was cool when you finally got it.
7. The 2D Bosses in Doom were scary.
8. You thought Q*Bert was neat for two reasons: you moved diagonally, and it made a mechanical "clunk" when you fell off the pyramid.
9. You've used a comb for the sole purpose of running faster on Track and Field.
10. You thought Intellivision was the shiznit.
11. You knew a guy who knew a guy that could finish Dragon's Lair.
12. You were cool if you could get to the "Speed Boat" level on Spy Hunter.
13. You think of Tapper as the original "Rhythm" game.
    
14. You finished Ultima III but it took you way too long.
    
15. You still think of Lord British as a super-human genius.
16. You actually did die of dysentery on The Oregon Trail.
17. You found Carmen SanDiego.
18. You thought Nintendo Power Glove was the ultimate in virtual reality.
19. You knew the "fatality" moves for at least one fighter in Mortal Combat.
20. You spent your entire allowance in under an hour playing "Gauntlet" and you still cringe when you hear "Warrior needs food... badly."
21. You know what "sprites" are, and the fact that the C64 could have 8 (yes, eight!) of them at a single time was amazing.

If you can think of any more, let us know using our contact form.