It's hard to overstate how unforgiving ’90s game culture was for kids. Unlike today’s diversified gaming landscape, the 16-bit era was built almost exclusively for children. Video games had barely evolved past their toy company roots and while consoles were a common feature in many American homes, your average game library was typically limited to the free game that came with the console (unheard of these days) and a few titles added during the year for holidays, birthdays, and the occasional tantrum. This meant you were expected to play a new game for weeks if not months. And if that game sucked or was extremely hard, you were screwed. There was no Google or YouTube. Your only salvation was the occasional guide in a gaming magazine or someone’s older brother.
