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Editorial: I react to KIDS REACT TO ATARI 2600 VIDEO GAMES (E.T. and Asteroids)!

I react to KIDS REACT TO ATARI 2600 VIDEO GAMES (E.T. and Asteroids)!
I react to KIDS REACT TO ATARI 2600 VIDEO GAMES (E.T. and Asteroids)!

Editorial: I react to KIDS REACT TO ATARI 2600 VIDEO GAMES (E.T. and Asteroids)!

September 22, 2016 Posted by Bill Loguidice Editorial 3 Comments

The latest in the inexplicably popular “KIDS REACT” series has dropped, and lo and behold it’s a “fresh” take on kids reacting to games on the Atari 2600 Video Computer System, which came out in 1977.

Here’s the video in question, although it’s not really necessary to play it, since it’s exactly like every other video of its type:

 

Naturally, I think we all know this is heavily manipulated, like any other similar click-bait video. They eliminate all the boring takes, all of the positive reactions, etc., and only focus on the kids who ham it up or have the desired response.

It also of course doesn’t help that the kids are purposely given limited information on exactly how something like that is supposed to be used. I dare you to drop anyone in front of any sufficiently sophisticated, but outdated technology, that they’d have no reason to be familiar with in any way, and tell them to use it, and see if the reaction is any different (be sure to giggle only in the most discrete manner at their naivety, of course).

What surprises me the most is that this gimmick still gets the time of day, period. I would think most people would be tired of this formula by now, especially as it seems like they’re treading over old territory.

As someone with an embarrassingly large collection of just about every videogame console and computer ever created, and my own “sample” population of three girls, ages 2, 10, and 12, I know first-hand that it’s very difficult to get kids to spend quality time with the vast majority of the old stuff. And why should they when they’re enjoying all the new stuff created in and for their generation? It’s not like our parents were cramming 40-year-old games down our throats when we had our Atari 2600s and the like, right? Or maybe that was how things went down in the households of the producers of “KIDS REACT” and this is just an overly protracted therapy session? We may never know the truth.

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Tags: asteroidsAtari 2600e.t.etkidskids reactVCSvideo computer system
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About Bill Loguidice

Bill Loguidice is a Founder and Managing Director for Armchair Arcade, as well as a critically acclaimed technology author and journalist.  He is also the co-founder of creative services firm, Armchair Creative Services, and a noted videogame and computer historian and subject matter expert. See full bio

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3 Comments

Leave your reply.
  • MaximumRD
    · Reply

    September 22, 2016 at 6:48 PM

    Yeah I never bought into these KIDS REACT things as anymore than click bait nonsense either.

  • davyk
    · Reply

    September 26, 2016 at 1:50 PM

    It would be interesting to see what the same kids thought of the same games remade for an iPad, as many of the smaller indie games are.

    Of course there are far better 2600 games to use for something like – and 2600 was all about the multi-player – but what’s the point? The video, as Bill says, is the usual overdone, under-considered click bait.

  • John Brown
    · Reply

    October 22, 2016 at 1:14 AM

    Bill,

    Well Done!

    AGREED!

    You’ve summed up most of what I was thinking…Except also that I completely blame the adults, not the kids…As it was the adults who Never showed them the controls, lest the kids have fun and not give the desired (mostly negative) reaction…

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