Tag: 8 Bit

If you’re trying to grow plants, you’ll need seeds, dirt, water, and sunlight if you hope to keep them alive. But did you know that plants grow extra strong when you feed them power pills? At least that’s what Pac-Man told me.

Back in the 1980s, I was a serious Atari kid. I had an Atari 2600, an Atari 800, an Atari 7800, an Atari Lynx, and an Atari 520ST along the way. I was even president of an Atari Users Group.

Do you love retro arcade games? I certainly do. While the pixel art character sprites get a whole lot of love, the fonts used to display your score and life status deserve much more appreciation. Typeface designer Toshi Omagari’s book catalogs dozens of the chunky pixelated fonts used in arcade games from the 1970s through the 1990s.

Those of us who grew up playing video games back in the 1980s have a special place in our hearts for the pixel art characters from the 8-bit arcade and home console world. From Pac-Man to Dig Dug to Donkey Kong to Galaga, game artists had to really stretch their creativity and imagination to give us memorable and identifiable characters using the most primitive of blocks and limited color schemes.

I love LEGO, and I love Nintendo games, so when I first heard the two companies were partnering up, I thought it could result in some really great collaborations. While the first LEGO Super Mario kits were definitely targeted to little kids, and not overgrown kids like me, their newly-announced set is definitely up my alley.

When it comes to retro gaming systems, SEGA made some of my favorites, including the Master System, Genesis, and Dreamcast. Long before modern mobile devices, the Japanese video game company created one of the first full-color handhelds, the SEGA Game Gear.

Every geeky room needs some pixel art on the wall. But rather than just have some static image, why not go with something a bit more interactive? The Pixel Art Shop has got you covered. This Super Mario Bros.

Full disclosure: as much as people loved Tetris, I sucked at the game. Every time the blocks started falling from the sky, I’d survive for about two minutes before I got overwhelmed, and they hit the top and my game was over.

Not too long ago, I moved into a new decade of life, and am feeling a bit long in the tooth – especially after seeing how many candles were on my birthday cake. I suppose I might not have cared so much if the candles were as cool as these ones.

Back in the day, there was a Nintendo arcade and NES game called Punch-Out!! As far as I know, it was the first boxing game ever. The original arcade game featured fictitious fighters like Glass Joe, Piston Hurricane, Bald Bull, and Mr.

Is there a love for video games in your household? Then consider celebrating your family’s passion for gaming with one of these fun, custom-made family name signs from Mozug Woodworking. Each sign is laser-cut from baltic birch plywood, and features your family name prominently in a chunky, pixelated 8-bit font.

If you are a fan of the various Nintendo consoles, but especially the original NES and Famicom, you are going to love these World of Nintendo plush toys. They are soft and cuddly and full of retro 8-bit awesomeness.

LEGO makes some really cool kits, but as far as I know, they’ve never released a set that looked like an arcade machine. But after seeing this awesome build by brick-building expert Frostbricks, I really hope they consider it.

Space Invaders, the iconic classic video game we all know and love, just got even cooler. The popular arcade vertical shooter from TAITO is going to be a board game. Let’s just hope that the gameplay lives up to the arcade version.

Woodgrain. There was a time when all of our coolest gadgets (and station wagons) were covered in this fake veneer. I for one, think it looks awesome and wish everything from our phones to our computers was still covered in the stuff.

Chess is a fun and challenging game that really makes you use your brain. So too are lots of video games. If you like both of these pastimes as much as I do, then check out this sweet chess set which features pieces that look like 8-bit video game pixel art.