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What I learned from a 30+ year old video game console
I have a clear memory of that summer evening in late 1980s Kuwait when I accompanied my dad as we shopped for a “computer” for me. We were in an electronics store (probably in Salmiya) that very much resembled a RadioShack. While my dad was super smart, he never got into tech and it seemed to always overwhelm him. I remember him listening intently to the sales rep as he showed him all the different models on sale. The rep was doing that thing that adults often do when kids are around — talk about them like they’re not there. He was selling my dad on all the educational benefits of the Sakhr, an MSX “personal computer,” for a little girl my age.
I remember thinking that this whole process of evaluating different models and features was taking far too long. Program in BASIC? Who was this guy kidding? All I wanted to do was play video games like all my cousins were doing with their Sakhrs.
I’m not really sure what aspirations my parents had for me using the Sakhr but it was really just a glorified video game console. Sure, I had a bunch of educational games that I’d play but the bulk of my time was spent playing games like Penguin Adventure, Knightmare, and Kings Valley II.
