Only 80s Kids Remember These 18 Gaming Icons

Laurent Shinar • Writer and Editor

Jun 9, 2025 11:30 AM EDT

While it might be arguable that the 00s were the actual golden age of gaming considering how quickly consoles and graphics developed, not to mention the myriad of games that kept coming out. The 80s most certainly holds firm as the birth of the gaming era. Legends were born, pong was played, Ataris were first used to attack and of course we were gifted game boys by our benevolent console creators.

It was truly a time of magic and wonder and we have wrangled some pristine examples of the gaming icons that rose out of that super special era for you to take a trip down memory lane and remember why you got into gaming in the first place. They say the beginning is a good place to start because it is the beginning, and we tend to agree. The question is whether or not you will agree or find it egregious.

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It is rather wonderful to take a moment and truly appreciate what the 80s gave us. And in many cases literally gave us, considering we were kids and did not have the disposable incomes we have access to today. Do you remember the joy of finding out you were finally going to get to explore a brave new world, all of your own?
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While there is little to no chance that your childhood bedroom was this neat and tidy, the collection of cool gadgets that it portrays ought to bring back a big bundle of bright memories from your youth. But you know what, the SpongeBob themed game boy and the game controlled water bottle truly take this scene over the edge, into super freaking cool territory.
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