We asked for gaming photos from your childhood. The response was more adorable, touching and nostalgic than we could have hoped. Below are a collection of tweets from readers who were willing to share their memories of gaming as a kid.
Proof ‘90s kids playing video games are cooler than kids today
Chris Plante co-founded Polygon in 2012 and is now editor-in-chief. He co-hosts The Besties, is a board member of the Frida Cinema, and created NYU’s first games journalism course.
If you’d like to contribute, submit photos in the comments! I’ve included my own piece of embarrassing history above, a day I don’t remember, but judging from my face and posture, I can assume was one of the best days of my life.
@plante @polygon This is me + family in Egypt in 1995, playing on a Polystation because dad "got us a Playstation". pic.twitter.com/ayxvTfJVMq
— Rami Ismail (@tha_rami) July 25, 2014 @plante @Polygon this is me at the 1990 Nintendo World Championship in Detroit. pic.twitter.com/GHF3xi6mbu
— Jon Lenaway (@lenawayj) July 25, 2014 @plante @Polygon this is my brother @clenaway with THE Mario at the same event. pic.twitter.com/pvXCIpcHmn
— Jon Lenaway (@lenawayj) July 25, 2014 @plante Apparently throwing the peace sign was a thing in the 90's. I've blocked out that memory, I guess. pic.twitter.com/IZVYsWOZS6
— Josh Holloway (@holloway) July 25, 2014 @plante @Polygon my late mom, propping me up to help me reach the controls circa the arcade days: pic.twitter.com/jWZwfxFVxD
— Aldrin Cornejo (@Acornayho) July 25, 2014 @plante the beginning. I think I had already memorized the Commodore 64 boot commands when this was taken. pic.twitter.com/XpbXACEwHb
— PizzaDestroyer (@AvantBlah) July 25, 2014 @plante @Polygon Me playing SimCity on a $3000 laptop in 1993, those things were expensive back then! pic.twitter.com/nUWDmC9YXc
— Yngvil Osdal Runde (@YngvilOR) July 25, 2014 @plante Playing TMNT while wearing a TMNT shirt. Cowabunga! pic.twitter.com/pSwhs6kL7d
— David Tremblay (@silentbum) July 25, 2014 @plante Football games were in my blood... pic.twitter.com/fHSisiEQ9N
— ian cummings (@iantcummings) July 25, 2014 @plante eat your heart out, N64 Kid. pic.twitter.com/jMhNQuBs1j
— Chase Koeneke (@chase_koeneke) July 25, 2014 @plante @Polygon Not sure if this counts but here's a dorky walkthrough I made when I was 10 for LoZ: Majora's Mask pic.twitter.com/r6QSLkSOcn
— Gabby D (@gabdar) July 25, 2014 0
@plante @Polygon Rocking the Commodore 64 with my twin. pic.twitter.com/ay8XI7uxrH
— Kelly Knox (@kelly_knox) July 25, 2014 1
@plante @polygon Found it. Me and my sister playing Math Rabbit. Mom made us pose. pic.twitter.com/dDKNYmXD2l
— Danny Silvers (@shadesofsilver) July 25, 2014 2
@plante @Polygon God damn I was cool. pic.twitter.com/hh2dpCRydh
— Dylan Solberg (@dylbob) July 25, 2014 3
Just found this awesome picture of me as a dorky little kid at a Pokemon card tournament. pic.twitter.com/OoQnteA5qy
— Britton Peele (@BrittonPeele) September 10, 2013 4
@plante @Polygon Then playing Nintendo games, now making them! :) pic.twitter.com/eX7hZ6GVDb
— Eric Kozlowsky (@vonkoz) July 25, 2014 5
@plante @Polygon Here I amnplaying with my Atari 2600, circa 1983/84, I was seven or eight years old. pic.twitter.com/M2V61k7QjE
— José M. Saucedo (@Azevrec) July 25, 2014 6
@plante @polygon I was in the zone! pic.twitter.com/UinBrVizKr
— Radio PlayStation (@itsRadioPS) July 25, 2014 7
@plante @Polygon toe jam & earl pic.twitter.com/4hLpQEcScS
— pedrograca (@pedrograca) July 25, 2014 8
@plante @Polygon Very old and very young pic.twitter.com/Jj5gtNTvHZ
— Redaktion AreaGames (@AreaGames) July 25, 2014 9
Against my better judgment, let's make this one public. SMB2 never had a chance. pic.twitter.com/4K6wbLb55y
— Jared Newman (@OneJaredNewman) July 25, 2014 0
@plante Big Brother Gaming™ at its finest. pic.twitter.com/V3BpfTlzmC
— Anthony Mazel (@Tonezorz) July 25, 2014 1 Cool clothes, bro. pic.twitter.com/hkjceMaJQV
— Patrick Klepek (@patrickklepek) July 25, 2014 2
@plante @Polygon The fact that my parents also blind-bought me Xenogears was a stroke of luck - pic.twitter.com/F7zqfA4wx4
— Jason Rice (@JasonRRice) July 25, 2014 3 @plante 1999 - 2 years old here. That's a Terminator 2 console from what information I could find on the internet. pic.twitter.com/ZdboRlvnWj
— Boyan Kolev (@Hitman_Dead_Man) July 25, 2014 4 @plante In 1983, there was one "Video Games Champion". THIS GUY. pic.twitter.com/SUB5AJsEqP
— Trevor Whatman (@Whamtan) July 25, 2014 5 @plante Rented TMNT from Blockbuster, ran out of bathtub to play it. Kind of suited for work. pic.twitter.com/S0ZdQz3um3
— James G (@JimmyJames_85) July 25, 2014 6 @plante my father, my sister and me playing some pac-man clone running on an IBM clone. pic.twitter.com/BoeLNbg1h1
— Andreas Grenasberg (@grenasberg) July 25, 2014 7 @plante @polygon getting a Sega Genesis, Christmas '92. Best Christmas ever! pic.twitter.com/AZSfs7Bva4
— James Daugherty (@JimmyD86) July 25, 2014 8 This @plante story on Polygon is making me dig up old photos. So many memories. pic.twitter.com/p1Siq1jMTj
— Mohammed Taher (@robokick) July 25, 2014 9 @plante My brother owning Tekken pic.twitter.com/mdJZyKpoHr
— radicoon (@radicoon) July 25, 2014 0 
@plante My sister interrupted some serious Atari 2600 play in the early 80’s. http://t.co/b8lOuRZymf
— Epic Whimsy (@Magicmarker78) July 25, 2014 1 .@plante Puerto Rico, 1994. Beaches? Restaurants? Virtua Fighter? Virtua Fighter. pic.twitter.com/GvHA3GC391
— Kris Naudus (@lampbane) July 25, 2014 2 @plante @Polygon 1997 - IIRC StarFox 64 pic.twitter.com/NvlaG3jmAQ
— Jonathan (@harropj) July 25, 2014 3 @plante Saw a article on @Polygon ! This was 1988 I was 8 months old! I was born into gaming #Pioneer #Nintendo pic.twitter.com/OndAPt5P5u
— Aquatiq (@Aquatiq2688) July 25, 2014 4 @plante I was always making shit out of paper as a kid. pic.twitter.com/g5rEggYGC9
— Michael Burns (@nvsblgamer) July 25, 2014 5 @plante Did I ever tell you about the time I got the high score in Gun.Smoke? pic.twitter.com/0E7An94q3a
— Robert Goode (@Shipwreck) July 25, 2014 6 
@plante Also trying to find the picture of me hugging my new N64 on Christmas… http://t.co/7wtLzENUBS
— Kristen Mukai (@k_mukai) July 25, 2014 7 .@plante @Polygon Me and my Dad playing Daytona USA back in 1998. pic.twitter.com/T2MLhX2z94
— ShoryuQuinn (@FawkesVII) July 25, 2014 8 @plante What about us 80s kids? Anyone gone so far back the photos are in b&w? Aged ~3 in 1981. Ski Run on a ZX81. pic.twitter.com/7jDMZ95bu8
— Lee Cash (@LeeCash) July 25, 2014 9 @plante @Polygon Here you are! Got a GameBoy that year too! Wish I could find these PJ's in my size now though... pic.twitter.com/XOokD62iRn
— Mike Kreckel (@MikeKreckel) July 25, 2014 0 @plante @polygon Cadilllacs and Dinosaurs, 1995 pic.twitter.com/3xD252kmgm
— Felipe Nanni (@FNanni) July 25, 2014 1 @plante This might of been from the late 80’s but I hope it still qualifies :D pic.twitter.com/k95rgroGyv
— Kert Gartner (@kertgartner) July 25, 2014 2 @plante @polygon I'm late, but found one. pic.twitter.com/6jcv1Kv09h
— Phil Tibitoski (@PTibz) July 25, 2014 3 @plante @Polygon Where it all began: pic.twitter.com/gPYsjhAIo3
— Daryl Baxter (@darylbaxter) July 25, 2014 4 @plante ~1985 in Dallas. I always wanted to do what my brothers were doing. Play games! Parents let me fake play pic.twitter.com/iKOAlEVzrx
— Teresa Tyndorf (@Tantalyzer) July 25, 2014 5 
@plante @Polygon SNES http://t.co/k31Qu9xJav
— junior (@ohkeshivar) July 25, 2014 6 @Polytron @plante Getting down on some Super Mario Bros.. #nopantsclub pic.twitter.com/Jy4TZVuLVf
— Sean McMurray (@sharddrive) July 25, 2014 7 .@plante Regional Nintendo competition. I'm in the middle. Aced Ninja Gaiden, Guerilla took me out of the running. pic.twitter.com/EvooW7tWj1
— Rich Wilson (@meathelix) July 25, 2014 8 @plante My NES. "How you doin' sweet thang?" pic.twitter.com/iZtuSGlSK2
— Alex Calbreath (@IckyMurmur) July 25, 2014 9 @plante @Polygon This is me playing (or at least thinking that i'm playing) Super Mario w/ my dad at a Phantom System pic.twitter.com/daq3gFufVJ
— Gustavo Miranda (@_walrus) July 25, 2014 0 @plante Me playing Jumping Flash in my room with my brother (not shown for some reason.) pic.twitter.com/3Hu69IYB1A
— Thomas Severs (@Thomas_Severs) July 25, 2014 1 @plante @Polygon my 13th bday party. Gathered around the SEGA. Who needs a 60" screen? pic.twitter.com/nYOrsIRsTP
— David Potsiadlo (@davidpots) July 25, 2014 2 @plante @Polygon 1993, we'd just moved into our new house. Priorities = Aladdin on Genesis. pic.twitter.com/TFNUFh7I1z
— David Potsiadlo (@davidpots) July 25, 2014 3 @plante @Polygon 8 year old me. I think I was eating Mcdonalds with one hand, and playing Lego Racers with the other. pic.twitter.com/CjC55jDfmu
— Frank Mar (@DeScruff) July 25, 2014 4 Me and my buddy @brentfranson playing one of my early games, "Guts 3" back in the 90's @Polygon @plante #gamedev pic.twitter.com/E2IflIptIj
— Mechanical Butterfly (@MBSGames) July 25, 2014 5 @plante Here's another one with my brothers at the arcade: pic.twitter.com/RdoLgws1WA
— Mohammed Taher (@robokick) July 25, 2014 6 @plante @Polygon ermahgerd gameboy pic.twitter.com/GBGnmRJhPr
— Michael Ruud (@auteurtheory) July 25, 2014 7 @plante this is the best I have on hand right now! Gonna do some digging though. pic.twitter.com/LySHkKSlIN
— Ben White (@Anzekay) July 25, 2014 8 @plante If you'd like to use that piece of 1996 Sega fandom glory, here's a more sharable version. pic.twitter.com/MbKOwgPk87
— Luis Elias Badillo (@Agent_Eli) July 26, 2014 9 That time in the 90s when I was in Hanson and could afford all the baggy clothes and N64 games I wanted. :/ @plante pic.twitter.com/9coiaHTNrU
— Matt Allan (@Hooray_For_Matt) July 26, 2014 0 @plante @polygon I'm very late but I found one pic.twitter.com/swPYzoZyDp
— DΛVID (@meodai) July 26, 2014 1 @plante @Polygon Notice my broken thumb, video games can be dangerous after all. pic.twitter.com/C5po3fwGBb
— Víctor (@chiconuclear) July 26, 2014 2 @plante @Polygon Late to the fray but I'm on the far right, Linden left, little bro and friend wrestling. pic.twitter.com/RYemWk29Ue
— StolenName (@StolenName) July 26, 2014 3 @plante Christmas 1998. Had a US N64 in the UK. Getting a US copy was amazing. Note the ‘stash. pic.twitter.com/67rNeG9J6J
— Jonathan (@harropj) July 26, 2014 4 @plante @Polygon me trying to figure out how to operate my brand new Oric Atmos. That Slalom game was the bomb. pic.twitter.com/hO7Z6fmnuh
— Valtteri Hyttinen (@VHyttinen) July 26, 2014 5 @plante @polygon Back in my day Pac-Man was in my blood. At least in cake form. (I’m the blonde kid) pic.twitter.com/1BvM69B8WA
— Jim Barraud (@jbarraud) July 25, 2014 6 80s gaming! Me (left) losing a C=64 game circa 1987 @plante @Polygon @Pete_Brown pic.twitter.com/8F9zjcAsL5
— Gavin Gear (@GavinGear) July 25, 2014 7 @plante @polygon My cousins and I, with me repping Donkey Kong Country and a sweet track suit. pic.twitter.com/rYptWQNztU
— Eric P. (@emanatee) July 25, 2014 8 
@plante Aww man, only just saw your 90s photos thing, well woulda fired you this of me https://t.co/LrCEVtlgjh
— Mike Rose (@RaveofRavendale) July 25, 2014 9 These photos were submitted by Adam Rippon, developer at Choice Provisions.
@plante ohhh, I didn’t see the post on this. Is it too late to submit this pic.twitter.com/ODzKLaGKBP
— Coury Carlson (@couryc) July 26, 2014 @plante @Polygon found this pic of me playing my Gameboy I think around '92 much hasn't changed except its a 3DS now pic.twitter.com/BMlUbuWzgj
— Matt Ng (@yingfo18) July 27, 2014 @plante @Polygon must have been some time in the 80. My gift Donkey Kong jr pic.twitter.com/p9YDFF96NH
— FERN (@cmykvsrgb) July 27, 2014 Here I am with my cousin Sean Flahie, please don’t tell him I posted this.
Polygon’s Justin and Griffin McElroy volunteered two videos featuring their family. They will melt your heart.
We also received some adorable images from parents of their game-loving kids.
@plante Lucas age four playing SMB :) pic.twitter.com/X4Ofyw43i8
— Nicole Tompkins-H (@Souriant_Nymh) July 25, 2014 @plante My sons @ 2013 FanCon cosplaying Minecraft & playing vintage console games. (Failed posting this in comments) pic.twitter.com/2Wi8mX6sss
— John Thomas-Mason (@Capn_US) July 26, 2014 Here is our own Brian Crecente’s son, Tristan.
And lastly some pets who have defied nature and become game lovers.
@plante kitten getting super emotional about the plot of ME3 pic.twitter.com/Lsa2tYqO9r
— Chao Li (@cli6cli6) July 25, 2014 Meet Emily Gera’s pup, Zoli.
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