The bell rings. Kids pile into the schoolyard. Some pick up a game of football. Others gather around the swings for gossip.

Tag, you're it.

In the pre-Internet days the original Geek Squad was a few 3rd graders in faded Batman t-shirts scratching circles into the dirt with their neon velcro sneakers.

They brood under the jungle gym like a pack of shady dealers waiting for their junkie marks to slither up and beg for a taste.

The drug du jour: video game secrets.

Some brats had rich parents who didn't flinch at the Nintendo Power Line charges on the phone bill. Others were able to con them into a monthly tip mag subscription.

Look, ma! You save $2 an issue when you subscribe today!

Whatever their lucky disposition, it put them at the top of the market for dishing the info we craved.

If you ain't cheating, you ain't trying. (Photo by Jason Leung on Unsplash)

Video games in the early 1990s were notoriously difficult. It was a result of the vestigial practice of designing impossible quarter-munching arcade titles and the industry's push back against rental outfits like Blockbuster.

We didn't have access to the volume of games that we're accustomed to today. Look at the average Steam user's backlog: 22% of games go unplayed. We were happy to come into two games a year, let alone hundreds.

A junkie doesn't leave a drop of the good stuff unused.

We had to make that shit last.

Without these game-breaking codes, you were left in the lurch with only your two thumbs and developing cortex to save you. That was a losing position if you just scored Contra for your birthday.

Out came the treats squirreled away from the cafeteria. You were behind in the negotiation when your mom forgot to pack the Gushers.

Kids with weak lunchpails got creative with their propositions.

"I'll let you borrow my Matchbox car for a week." That thing's lame. "You can ride my new skateboard later!" Maybe, but what else you got?

"I'll let you win at football tomorrow."

Throwing the big game for that hot password gravy? It's the playoffs, Joey. Have some self respect. How bad do you need to beat Double Dragon anyway?

No matter. Deal's a deal.

"Done. Two touchdowns. Here. Don't tell nobody else."

He extracts a crumpled corner of looseleaf smeared with pencil hieroglyphics from his pocket. Barely readable, totally unverifiable, but raw with potential. He folds it twice, scans the horizon for authority figures, then pushes it into your sweaty palm.

You exhale a conflicted sigh. Recess will suck tomorrow. Your ego will recover, but you might have died without knowing what happens in level 8.

Worth it.

Now, get the hell outta here until it's time for your next dose.

Sharpening the Toolkit

• I've been following Oskar Stålberg's development journey on the low-key builder Townscaper.
• Folio Society with the badass limited edition Dune set. Probably worth the £500.
• Baccarat has helped the gambling industry stay off the skids for decades. But, what's the deal on this esoteric game?
• Which one of these daily game ideas would you want to play right now?

To future worlds,

Matt Ventre

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