Ancient Camcorder Footage Sets Stage for WC Purchase Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Update ID

Here's a weird nostalgia trip! This is a video recording of an old computer store circa 1991, and Wing Commander makes a handful of cameos throughout. We post a lot of retro stuff like this, but rarely do we get so much of the peripheral environment. Everything from the neon clothes at 0:22 to the shirt and tie of the salesman at 0:51 screams early '90s. The clerk is standing in front of the game at 2:36 and familiar music permeates throughout, especially in the last minute. It's one thing for players born more recently to boot up their GOG copies and experience the pixelated goodness, but there was also a magic associated with checking out these haunts to learn about what was new. Keep in mind that this was years and years before anyone downloaded a trailer or found a release date on the internet! Thanks to Michael Klamerus for the find!

Last night while doing research for my game I came across video of a computer store employee demoing Space Quest 4 and Wing Commander to customers in 1991. Enjoy?
For retro computing enthusiasts! This was a small "mom and pop" computer and electronics store in the mall in 1991 called 21st Century Electronics. It was in University Mall in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and started in 1990 as a general electronics store, with a focus on satellite television systems, but evolved into a dedicated computer technology store. I worked there from 1991 to 1993, and I'm visible in the mirror with the VHS-C camcorder near the end. The store eventually moved, became 21st Century Computers, and lasted until the 2010's. This video is probably June 8, 1991, based on the baseball game on the TV (Montreal at Atlanta), and that it was on a VHS tape with other 1991 events.

Any help identifying the games and systems in the video is appreciated. One notable system spec sheet @ 03:21: 386/25MHz system, 64K cache, 4MB RAM on board, 40 MB hard drive, tower case, 200 watt power supply, 1.2 MB floppy drive, 1.44 MB floppy drive, VGA monitor, ARC 101 keyboard, 2 serial / 1 parallel ports, Microsoft Windows (3.0), DOS... $2429.00!!! LOL!


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