The games that help us remember
It's Elevator Action, of all things.
I don’t have a lot of words today. Personal stuff. But I wanted to write briefly about Elevator Action, an old Taito-developed game from the 1980s that I hadn’t thought about in years—not until I got some bad news this week that made me nostalgic for holiday visits to my late uncle and aunt’s house in Staten Island, NY.
Theirs was a joyful and boisterous home. Holiday visits meant driving over to a house full of cousins and grandparents who filled the living room with laughter and good cheer. At some point during these visits, my brother and I would join my youngest cousin in scrambling down to the basement, where she had a Nintendo Entertainment System to play (we didn’t have an NES yet; we were an Odyssey 2 home).
I don’t remember many of the games we played. I think there was one that involved a man running over checkerboard terrain. Maybe you could control it with the Power Pad floor-mat? I vaguely remember having the epiphany that you could just step off the mat to make the guy jump.
More solid is my memory of Elevator Action, a game in which your character engages in shoot-outs on one floor of a building, takes the elevator to the next one, does the same and eventually ziplines to another office tower to do it again. My brother was obsessed with this one, and my cousin and I would sneak under the basement staircase to try to surprise him while he was mid-session. Maybe we could get him to give up the controller.
It’s not the most vivid memory, but what matters to me this week is that it’s a portal to a specific place and time, or maybe the better metaphor is that it’s a bookmark for some lovely memories of being a certain age in a certain home and having certain people nearby.
I always appreciate when someone talks about how an Animal Crossing or a Zelda or whatever game helps keep memories of their loved ones fresh.
This week, of all things, it’s Elevator Action that’s taking me back, that’s helping me relive my memories of my aunt, who I could hear upstairs. Her laugh. Her voice. Her warmth.
May we all have these kinds of touchstones, however random, that keep our loved ones near, even when we’ve had to say goodbye.
Item 2: In brief…
🎮 Alan Emrich, the game designer who first coined the popular strategy game term 4X, has died, PC Gamer reports.
👀 Nintendo told CNET in Japan that a recent 3D mock-up of the supposed Switch 2 shown at CES by peripheral maker Genki is “unofficial” and was not provided by them, Automaton reports.
Genki, meanwhile, told another Japanese outlet, Game Spark, that its 3D-printed mock-up was based on leaks, not an actual Switch 2, per Automaton.
🤔 Path of Exile 2 players aren’t so sure about Elon Musk’s professed prowess in the game, after watching him play it, PC Gamer reports.
Item 3: The week ahead
Monday, January 13
Rebel Wolves, a studio led by former top creators behind The Witcher 3 (one of whom is seeking some personal redemption), reveal their first game, The Blood of Dawnwalker, during a 4pm ET livestream.
Tuesday, January 14
Hyper Light Breaker (PC) is released into early access.
Wednesday, January 15
“Thinky game” The Roottrees are Dead (PC) is released.
Thursday, January 16
Donkey Kong Country Returns HD (Switch) is released.
Friday, January 17
Dynasty Warriors: Origins (PC, PlayStation, Xbox) is released.
Hi Stephen, my condolences to you and your family.
I have a special place in my heart for Elevator Action too, albeit not for the reasons you do. (The game that probably best transports me to a particular time and place is the original arcade Outrun, which takes me back to the little arcade in the Fujiya Hotel in Hakone with my grandmother.)
Elevator Action really resonated with me because it was one of the few games of the era that I played that was set in the “real” world, using real objects like elevators, escalators and lights as key mechanics. The idea that you could create a game out of something as mundane as elevators was conversely quite magical for young me.
Sorry man. Thank you for sharing that story. It brought up memories of family and games in my own past.