bluegatereview

Unbeknownst to most, she had played Space Invaders before. Low tech black and white – being the early eighties – with some primitive controls, on her brother’s home computer. Hours on end, shooting, shooting those cannons, blasting those aliens. One weekend, she travelled to the big city with a girlfriend. They went to the amusement park. At the arcade, two guys were playing Space Invaders. They invited the girls to join them: “Hold this, press here, have a go.” Fancy controls – being the arcade – and colorful displays. Easy! Shooting, shooting those cannons. “Hmm…” Her victory was obviously a fluke, said the young men – ah, those capricious cannons! They smiled in a manly manner, then let her play again. So much easier than at home! “Hmm…” And again. They couldn’t understand it. What are the odds? They said her luck was remarkable. A statistical anomaly. She kept blasting, blasting those aliens. The guys stared at each other. It was a freak thing. So LUCKY!

1980s