Yes, in the 1980s we downloaded games from the radio

So there I was, minding my own business, doom-scrolling my way through Facebook posts when I happened upon one that hit me straight in the nostalgia. A photo of a 1980s home computer, a cassette player and some tapes. The text underneath proclaimed "In the 1980s, people could download video

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Ok this was something else!

I recorded songs from the radio onto cassettes but downloading games!? Haha I guess Africa was a little bit behinds on the technology you western citizens had a lot of fun. Damn it!

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I don’t know about the radio, but we used to get free games and demos with magazines! I used to love computer/video game mags :smiley:

Damn y’all were lucky. I only recalling getting silly squishy toys in cereal boxes or key holders and that stuff. Girls magazines would come with mirrors, combs, hair holders and the likes.

As for boys magazines? There were none. Just comics.

Also those computer/video game magazines were pretty pricey. You’d look at them and turn the other way. Parents would actually frown if you pointed at them. Tough times hahaha

Edit: We did play video games though, I recall walking some kilometres to exchange catridges. The 90s were something else!

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A lot of the times I would just read them in the newsagents - so go in to buy one, but read at least another while there, hehe!

Nice - the days we could share games, now, it’s all digital :icon_rolleyes:

I did the same thing. If there was a new song on the radio that I liked, I immediately recorded it.

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Theory vs practice … In theory is as you said. However in practice it was completely opposite case. You’ve paid for a game and got a magazine extra. Why does it matter? Well … not sure how it was in your country, but in Poland there were different VAT for a magazine and a game. :newspaper:

For consumers there is just a tiny problem with said magazines … It’s hard to find those games now (legally or not) and some of those were too good to be forgotten … :face_holding_back_tears:

I had no idea about radio, but I heard that in Poland people were buying a game code printed on the on paper. The problem with that was you cannot make mistake as you would have to type everything all over again. After that people were using cardridges and that was a time of the best games! :video_game: