Reliving the Childhood Games That Shaped Ghana’s Gaming Culture
Remember how much fun we had playing with friends during leisure hours? The laughter
shared among siblings and the occasional snitching when someone decides to hoard the
console or keyboard? Those were much simpler times, when games were found on CDs,
cartridges or folders on computers.
Some games were also played in game centers where a
large crowd will bear witness to your glorious triumph or shameful defeat, but we held our heads
high with pride lol. Some games had us running around, tripping each other in a bid to get to the
prize first, with someone sometimes crying in the end.
Join me as we stroll down memory lane, reminiscing over the nostalgic games that had us giddy
and shaped our childhoods:
Virtua Cop 1,2&3
This is a light gun arcade game designed by Sega. I still hear the NPCs shouting “Don’t shoot”
and “Help me” everytime I think of Vrtua Cop. Playing this game was sheer bliss. Bringing the
bad guys to book and “saving” civilians was such a joy. Although I didn’t own a light gun (side
eye to Ghana), I still took down the bad guys by frantically pressing on my mouse. The “Reload”
notification sometimes threw me in a frenzy and I’d end up hitting a civilian or 5.
Road Rash
This is a motorcycle racing game developed by Electronic Arts. You have to complete the race
without going off track while avoiding the police. Your opponents will resort to underhanded
tactics to be victorious and you can do the same. Bose and Cydney always annoyed me during
a race. I enjoyed kicking them off their bikes and knocking them down as well. Pure dopamine.
There was so much joy in weaving through the streets, knocking down pedestrians and slyly
evading the police while trying to win the race (else what’s the point). Not to brag, but I was
pretty good at the stunts.
Mortal Kombat
Need I say more? When Earthrealm is threatened, who am I not to respond? This was one of
my favourite games and you can see why. This game shredded friendships as fatalities and
flawless victories were being thrown around during 2 player mode. The cheat code (many as
they were) made the game so fun, hitting keys like you’re Flash trying to save his mom in the
past. The “Finish Him” still gives me chills whenever I hear it.
Need for Speed: Most Wanted
Every boy I knew either had or wanted to own this game. Also developed by electronics Arts,
this game is a street racing involving events and racing circuits. Imagine being a member of the
Fast and Furious crew, virtually. Seemed like an extended version of Road Rash for me. I never
got the hang of it so I gave up learning to play. It was nice watching others play though. That
was my first lesson about cars and their mechanics.
Tetris(Brick Game)
If you haven’t ever played tetris, you are missing out. A lot. The aim of Tetris is to score points
by clearing horizontal rows of blocks. There have been variations over the years but it still has
the same concept. This game kept us occupied for hours and it was fun trying to out play
friends.
Hercules
The very first thing I remember from Hercules is the “Use your head” Philoctetes keeps shouting
out. I gave up on this game halfway because I just could not finish it no matter how hard I try. Sigh.
Those were simple times. I even managed to snag a win against the Hydra so I’m pretty good. Cue
the smug smile.
The game follows the script of the animated movie by Disney, where Hercules sets
out to prove himself as Zeus’ son and gets the girl in the end (typical). A little out of context but the
muses did not have to go so hard with the theme song for that. Lol.
Alikoto
This was not a video game but was enjoyed by children everywhere. Alikoto is played by spinning a
pentop on the ground or in the sand, and trying to get it to overturn. Sometimes, the tip of the pen is
put in the pentop and that makes it a little more difficult to play.(PS there is an alikoto game on the google play store or here).
Ludo
The wicked players know themselves – making up rules and kicking you back into your home like
you’re a newbie. Ludo is a strategy board game played by 2 to 4 people by taking turns to roll a
single die. Whoever gets all tokens to the home area before other players is the winner. Woe betide
you if two players team up against you lol. It was also a great tactic for learning some life lessons, or
so our parents said. Although played by 4 players max, ludo was most enjoyable and drew a crowd
whenever it was being played.
Oware
Although the name varies from country to country, oware is a strategy game enjoyed by many. It
is played by 2 people using pebbles in holes or a specially carved wooden board. An oware
board has two straight rows of six houses, with 4 pebbles in each house. The game is over
when one player has 25 or more pebbles. It was seen as a way to pick up wisdom nuggets that
could guide you through life.(PS there are oware games on the playstore and some owared based games on the iOS App store)
Snake
This game was such a blast! The rule was simple: Eat the food but avoid your ever-growing tail.
It’s harder than it sounds. Lol. Especially when you keep growing with every food you eat.
Apparently, there are different versions of the game: Snake, Snake II, Snake ‘97, Snake Xenzia
and others.
These games weren’t just games, they hold cherished memories we revisit with such fondness.
I still smile when I remember playing with my brothers and shouting at them for “cheating”. I was
losing (don’t blame me). I think I even turned off the TV once lol.
Did I miss one game that should be here? What games did you play as a child that you still play now? Let’s relive that memory together.
