My first ever Zzap
Posted: Wed Aug 23, 2006 9:00 am
Lo all, I'm from downunder and I bought my first Zzap mag waaaaay back when I was 9 - Issue 3.
Needing something to occupy my time other than the lame books we had to read at school my mum took me to the newsagent and there, amongst nudey birds mags (maybe I'd have had equal amusement with Penthouse), car tuning magazines and shooting journals was Zzap. (My newsagent was an ex-pat englishman and he got in a lot of stuff which you couldn't find in most other places - Viz, Beano etc).
In retrospect it looks like there were plenty of aussie fans of the magazine. Mostly letters to Lloyd Mangram reflected a healthy downunder following. I always considered writing a fan letter to LM, however the purchase price of the magazine basically swallowed my entire pocket money and sending a letter to the UK cost a fair ol' whack.
Picking it up I was instantly captured by the reviews and rather unique artwork.
Ergo a love affair with the magazine started which ran until I was in high school.
I got my first commodore 64 computer aged 10 and immediately got into some serious gaming, my favourite genre being the shoot em ups. Couldn't beat em for some highly frustrating action.
I rode the highs and lows of the magazine - the amazing game reviews, the hilarious scorelord challenges, or when types like Gazza and JR left. I had only settled in to the new crew when Maff, PG, Katie and Big Gordo left. Even though I was 10 years younger than the reviewers, I almost felt like I'd got to know them.
Zzap taught me a lot - particularly opened my eyes to things that went on half a world away, when you're only 9 the UK seemed impossibly distant. When it all finally ended, it was not without some sadness that I moved on to other pursuits.
However the old Commodore 64 is still in working order and occasionally I get it out and give Bubble Bobble, Armalyte, Boulderdash, Katakis or Wonderboy a run. Lots of happy memories and bent paperclip frustration from that machine.
Needing something to occupy my time other than the lame books we had to read at school my mum took me to the newsagent and there, amongst nudey birds mags (maybe I'd have had equal amusement with Penthouse), car tuning magazines and shooting journals was Zzap. (My newsagent was an ex-pat englishman and he got in a lot of stuff which you couldn't find in most other places - Viz, Beano etc).
In retrospect it looks like there were plenty of aussie fans of the magazine. Mostly letters to Lloyd Mangram reflected a healthy downunder following. I always considered writing a fan letter to LM, however the purchase price of the magazine basically swallowed my entire pocket money and sending a letter to the UK cost a fair ol' whack.
Picking it up I was instantly captured by the reviews and rather unique artwork.
Ergo a love affair with the magazine started which ran until I was in high school.
I got my first commodore 64 computer aged 10 and immediately got into some serious gaming, my favourite genre being the shoot em ups. Couldn't beat em for some highly frustrating action.
I rode the highs and lows of the magazine - the amazing game reviews, the hilarious scorelord challenges, or when types like Gazza and JR left. I had only settled in to the new crew when Maff, PG, Katie and Big Gordo left. Even though I was 10 years younger than the reviewers, I almost felt like I'd got to know them.
Zzap taught me a lot - particularly opened my eyes to things that went on half a world away, when you're only 9 the UK seemed impossibly distant. When it all finally ended, it was not without some sadness that I moved on to other pursuits.
However the old Commodore 64 is still in working order and occasionally I get it out and give Bubble Bobble, Armalyte, Boulderdash, Katakis or Wonderboy a run. Lots of happy memories and bent paperclip frustration from that machine.