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Mobile games before smart phones

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Install snake

I am not such an avid mobile gamer as some. I occasionally find an app that I love, that dominates my time. But more often than not, I end up using my iPad to read Kindle books and keep my gaming focused on the console and PC/Mac. But back in the day, I played some awesome games on the most unlikely devices.

During a recent discussion in the lazygamer office, we ended up chatting about early mobile phones. Of course, we all had that original brick Nokia. Geez, I was the queen of Snake back in the day – I had strategy and ninja-like reflexes. Also, somehow I was willing to pour far too many hours into the game.

TI Zelda

However, Geoff and I had a far better device at that time. I even managed to play Tetris and BlackJack on the thing, and loved it with all my heart and soul. No, it wasn’t a phone and it wasn’t a GameBoy. The glorious device in question was a Texas Instruments graphing calculator. As the youngling, I had the TI-83, although I suspect Geoff’s was a TI-81. Either way, I still remember the joy of that device – I would sit playing Tetris after maths exams or pretend to be studying while actually playing BlackJack.

I even remember one maths class where our teacher taught us how to program those games ourselves. I almost went full geek that day. Who would have thought a calculator could give so much joy?

These days, everything can be done on a tablet or smart phone, and kids don’t realize the joy of illicit gaming on “serious” devices. What was your first mobile game? Do you remember gaming on other strange devices, or did you save yourself for console and PC experiences?

Last Updated: May 23, 2014

57 Comments

  1. Sir Rants A Lot Llew. Jelly!!!

    May 23, 2014 at 14:42

    Snake was my first mobile game and to this day nothing has lived up to it.

    Reply

    • Eric

      May 23, 2014 at 14:59

      Always tried to fill up the entire screen with my snake. When i finally did it I was like “YESSSS… Okay… what now?”

      Reply

      • HvR - THE Average GAmer

        May 23, 2014 at 15:13

        If learned how to use the zoom function it could have saved you hours.

        Reply

        • Mossel

          May 23, 2014 at 15:44

          hehe

          Reply

      • Mossel

        May 23, 2014 at 15:43

        I can easily fill up the entire screen with my snake.

        Reply

        • Eric

          May 23, 2014 at 15:57

          Nooooooo. I didn’t mean THAT

          Reply

          • Mossel

            May 23, 2014 at 15:59

            Goddammit Eric, you need to be specific!

          • Eric

            May 23, 2014 at 16:07

            Guess it wouldn’t have made it any better if I said that when the screen is full completely the snake eats it’s own ass.

  2. Alien Emperor Trevor

    May 23, 2014 at 14:44

    I’m in a long-term committed relationship with my PC. We’ve been together for 25 years now.

    Reply

    • Weanerdog

      May 23, 2014 at 14:46

      If you really loved her you wouldn’t keep changing bits of her to impress your friends.

      Reply

      • Alien Emperor Trevor

        May 23, 2014 at 14:47

        Friends? Oh, you’re being facetious 🙁

        Reply

        • Weanerdog

          May 23, 2014 at 14:52

          Well the Lagz community as a whole, excepting Rince he wouldn’t know a PC from his elbow.

          Reply

      • Umar_Zero

        May 23, 2014 at 14:48

        Exactly, accept her for who she is. Single Core and all

        Reply

        • Alien Emperor Trevor

          May 23, 2014 at 14:49

          Pffft. Why shouldn’t I help her learn & grow? Self-improvement is nothing to fear.

          Reply

          • Umar_Zero

            May 23, 2014 at 14:51

            He personality should count the most. She can still run excel you condescending bastard…she has feelings to you know

          • Alien Emperor Trevor

            May 23, 2014 at 14:54

            As if I’d sully her with *spit* excel *spit*.

          • Umar_Zero

            May 23, 2014 at 14:55

            OpenOffice then? Wow, she’s pretty ‘open’

          • Alien Emperor Trevor

            May 23, 2014 at 14:57

            I see what you’re trying to do. You’re trying to drive a wedge between us because you’re jealous of our unconditional love while you whore yourself out to all those other platforms & their meaningless devices. Shame on you!

            FYI – it’s LibreOffice – so there!

          • Umar_Zero

            May 23, 2014 at 15:01

            I wish you can see her the way I do. You don’t appreciate the way she handles all of your background services. You stop and start her like some piece of trash. All the deamons she has to put with…How dare you! It takes 100% of her CPU power to fight back the tears

          • Alien Emperor Trevor

            May 23, 2014 at 15:07

            Look at you judging while sitting back in your walled-off garden, not even able to communicate with her. Have you even asked her what she needs, or do you just presume to know?

          • Weanerdog

            May 23, 2014 at 15:11

            Elite?

          • Kensei Seraph

            May 23, 2014 at 15:23

            This is one of the greatest conversations I’ve ever read.

          • Weanerdog

            May 23, 2014 at 14:55

            Libre calc for the win.

          • Weanerdog

            May 23, 2014 at 14:54

            I see how most guys who spend money to help their significant others grow and its mostly in cup-size.

    • Hammersteyn

      May 23, 2014 at 15:26

      • Mossel

        May 23, 2014 at 15:31

        O_O
        BEST. COSPLAY. EVAAR!!

        Reply

        • Hammersteyn

          May 23, 2014 at 15:37

          Kriegeris my favourite on Archer

          Reply

          • Mossel

            May 23, 2014 at 15:39

            I, know right?
            Malory: Krieger! You can leave everything you are doing and come with me!
            Krieger: Yeah, you say that.

          • Hammersteyn

            May 23, 2014 at 15:53

            Or where he experiments on Danny the intern. Danny nooooooooo

          • Mossel

            May 23, 2014 at 15:54

            haha this guy is as hillarious as he is disturbing. Have you seen the latest season? With the clones?

          • Hammersteyn

            May 23, 2014 at 16:10

            Not yet, but now I want to!

    • Kromas

      May 23, 2014 at 15:50

  3. Weanerdog

    May 23, 2014 at 14:45

    I never enjoyed it, but then I never enjoyed tetris. Probably because I am possibly the worst gamer in the world and had to wait until recently when all games got dumbed down to actually have any progression and to enjoy them. I played a lot of games back in the day and by games I mean level 1.

    Reply

  4. Umar_Zero

    May 23, 2014 at 14:47

    I remember sitting at school after a math exam drenched in the tears of my failure

    Reply

    • Her Highness the Hipster

      May 23, 2014 at 15:00

      maths. it’s only math in america 😛

      Reply

      • Umar_Zero

        May 23, 2014 at 15:02

        RIIIIIGHT, next you’re gonna tell me it’s actually Jean Pants?

        Reply

        • RinceofFuturePast

          May 23, 2014 at 15:02

          I got your back bro…

          Reply

          • Umar_Zero

            May 23, 2014 at 15:03

            Leave my back you hurtful man!

      • RinceofFuturePast

        May 23, 2014 at 15:02

        Wow Zoe. He opens up a wound that obviously turned him into the freak he is, and you correct him? #shameless

        Reply

        • Umar_Zero

          May 23, 2014 at 15:02

          Freak?….wow that hurts man

          Reply

          • RinceofFuturePast

            May 23, 2014 at 15:07

            But, but, I was protecting you to! Like, feelings and shit!

          • Alien Emperor Trevor

            May 23, 2014 at 15:11

            Sucks hey. Now you know how I feel when I try to help people & they just reject it out of hand.

          • RinceofFuturePast

            May 23, 2014 at 15:14

            I now know what it feels like to stand up for what is right, and be knocked down, like some tower of salty tears, yes @umarbastra:disqus YOU http://asset-e.soup.io/asset/1919/8182_e861.gif

          • Hammersteyn

            May 23, 2014 at 15:25

            Hahahaha!

          • Norm

            May 26, 2014 at 14:44

            Can’t stop watching this… lol.

        • Alien Emperor Trevor

          May 23, 2014 at 15:09

          Hipster cool. Even channeling ee cummings because capital letters have already been done.

          Reply

  5. RinceofFuturePast

    May 23, 2014 at 14:55

    Haven’t read article past ‘Lazygamer office’ but had to put this in BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA. Going back up to read now…

    Reply

    • Weanerdog

      May 23, 2014 at 15:08

      Virtual skype office?

      Reply

      • RinceofFuturePast

        May 23, 2014 at 15:09

        Indeed 🙂 I just think it rather mean that they all video conference but Darryn is made to text…

        Reply

        • Weanerdog

          May 23, 2014 at 15:11

          Darryn probably loves that like playing ye olde text adventures.

          Reply

          • Alien Emperor Trevor

            May 23, 2014 at 15:12

            Someone should tell him that’s not what they meant when they told him to go play in the MUD.

          • RinceofFuturePast

            May 23, 2014 at 15:15

            And he was like ‘turns right. Goes straight’…

  6. RinceofFuturePast

    May 23, 2014 at 14:57

    Okay. Read it now. First gaming experience on a mobile? Realising sms’s were a P2P. Broke my heart.

    Reply

  7. Hammersteyn

    May 23, 2014 at 15:24

    The only games I played back then was outside

    Reply

  8. Mossel

    May 23, 2014 at 15:37

    Even in varsity we weren’t allowed graphing calculators. It’s just so easy to cheat with it.

    Reply

  9. Kromas

    May 23, 2014 at 15:49

    “Queen of the Snake” sound like a porno.

    Reply

  10. internetinsesi

    May 23, 2014 at 17:09

    this free online games site oyun.internetinsesi.net

    Reply

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