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[spinfive]

Bit of context here. I was born in 99' and have only known life with the internet.

I can remember days before smartphones but I feel that I miss the world before it. The ability to get information about almost anything at anytime makes life easier.

I'm not saying anything negative about anyone but people growing up now are seeing a completely sad world ruled by tech.

I can remember how different things were during the beginning of the internet in the early 2000s before social media came and wonder how much more exciting the 80s/90s may have been to experience. This advancement in technology and the internet is scary and whenever I see something from the the 80s it is presented in such a way where such life seemed much more fun and happy at that time but this new generation growing up now missed out.

 

[DaleinCalgary]

Growing up in the 80's was awesome, absolutely the best music decade of all time. 90's were bleh and we just waited for the world to end on dec 31 1999. 90's music kinda sucked as it was a prove how angry you were and the girls wore very loose jeans and that sucked.

 

[Trunx81]

Every generation has its pros and cons. I’m actually pretty happy that there haven’t been smartphones around in my youth due to the fact that we could keep our shenanigans to ourselves.

The 80s were a great time, as well as the 90s, but as a kid, you just didn’t worry about those things. I mean, you were born in the year The Matrix came out and missed the whole hype around it

 

[MastAndo]

There was a greater appreciation for things, that's for sure. Looking forward or your favorite movie or show to come on TV, or a song to come on the radio so you can tape it, or heading to the park to see which friends are out and about - there was just something special about all that.

Of course, the accessibility of information the internet provides has a remarkable amount of merit, but everyone's world is so huge now. Along with that, you have a whole lot of negativity spilling into everyone's psyche. I don't know, I just think there was a lot of character building going on back then that just doesn't exist now. Now, if you want to bitch and moan about everything and anything, you can find a thousand people online to validate even the stupidest of opinions. It all just feels dangerous and unhealthy to me when it comes to shaping our youth.

 

[TGO]

While I do remember the late 80's I have to say 90's & 00's
You actually missed out on 00's as you was born in 99 so I doubt you remember the early 2000's.
In contrast to what DaleinCalgary said
This is when girls starting wearing low waist bottoms and crop tops which lasted until the early 10's
Now they gone back to the early 90's old people wore

 

[Wildebeest]

It wasn't really that happy at all. There was a lot of media where everyone seemed happy and living great lives, but too much of the time it was a cocaine fuelled facade. Perhaps a lot of people were kids around then and just enjoyed being kids.

A lot of stuff was painfully stupid or bad. Cult media and cult bands had a real meaning because if you found something that didn't totally suck it was easy to become obsessed with it.

 

[Smiggs]

Growing up in the 80's was awesome, absolutely the best music decade of all time. 90's were bleh and we just waited for the world to end on dec 31 1999. 90's music kinda sucked as it was a prove how angry you were and the girls wore very loose jeans and that sucked.

On the first bolded part:
Look, I get there was a ton of great music in the 80's--no sane person would argue against that statement. However, the horrible synthesizer sounds that invaded nearly all genres of music have not aged well (that's assuming they were ever good to begin with). Just thinking of those Roland 808 sounds... ugh.

On the second point, the early/mid 90's had more than just grunge and angry songs. Unfortunately things did steer in the angry/dark direction toward the end of the 90's once nu-metal got a stranglehold on the market, though.

 

[ClanOfNone]

A simpler time, and a better one. I remember logging into Prodigy with a 1200 baud dial up modem.
lmao, young me actually thought that the internet would usher in a golden age of global understanding and communication.
Fast forward 30 years and 99.87% of it is just a white-hot dumpster fire. Humans love to create cool things and then fuck them up beyond measure.

 

[bitbydeath]

Things were much simpler, I used to bike everywhere, nowadays I could get three years jail time if I let my kids out to do the exact same thing.

What a world we live in…

 

[JayK47]

I thought the 80s were great as a kid. But I was not an adult back then, dealing with low pay and high interest rates. Maybe the 80s are making a comeback.

My parents didn't have to worry about much as I road my bike around town unattended. I can't imagine doing that now with my kids. Kids back then actually played outside for hours and hours. Screen time was cartoons Saturday morning for all of about an hour. TV, movies, and music were great.

 

[Days like these...]

On the first bolded part:
Look, I get there was a ton of great music in the 80's--no sane person would argue against that statement. However, the horrible synthesizer sounds that invaded nearly all genres of music have not aged well (that's assuming they were ever good to begin with). Just thinking of those Roland 808 sounds... ugh.

On the second point, the early/mid 90's had more than just grunge and angry songs. Unfortunately things did steer in the angry/dark direction toward the end of the 90's once nu-metal got a stranglehold on the market, though.

80's gave birth to House Music and Techno which is what most of the electronic music that came after it is founded on so yes the 80's were the best. Nu wave and that were it's own thing

 

[Goon_Bong]

Born in the early 80’s, and it was a simpler time, none of the insanity you see today. My favourite movies are all from the 80’s. I remember sneaking out of bed and Aliens was on TV. Got to the chest burster scene and bailed. Had nightmares for days.

I still recall having to remember phone numbers of friends and family I’d call regularly from memory. It must have been over 20 numbers. The thought of that now boggles my mind.

 

[TGO]

It wasn't really that happy at all. There was a lot of media where everyone seemed happy and living great lives, but too much of the time it was a cocaine fuelled facade. Perhaps a lot of people were kids around then and just enjoyed being kids.

A lot of stuff was painfully stupid or bad. Cult media and cult bands had a real meaning because if you found something that didn't totally suck it was easy to become obsessed with it.

This is true regarding every generation.
I loved the late 90's & 2000's
And even with the event's like 9/11 I still believe that period was kinda beautiful in way.
If you asked me if I'd like to relive my life back then I'd say no.
But it's also no other time I'd rather be in.

 

[Davesky]

Consumerism hadn’t quite yet took over in the early 90’s, if you look at older Argos catalougues children’s toys weren’t mainly franchise focused and the mainstream charts wasn't overly marketed towards the youth. Something seemed to switch around '94 or '95, around the same time as the advent of digital tv and also trading laws changing in the UK that shops could be open on a Sunday. Family values were still a thing at the time and I also think having only 4 channels to chose from and at specific times was much better for overall family wellbeing.

 

[PapaEmeritus]

I can't imagine life without the internet now, but as a young teen in the 90s, there was something special about no cell phones, no internet, no security cameras ( ) group trips to the mall on a bus, getting lost from the group and finding them with a random book find or game find from EBGames, without knowing what you were buying, a Dip n Dots trip and calling 1800 Collect to tell your mom you are safe and leaving the full message on the "say your name" part, and then hanging up.
Pog games in the playground, pokemon trade over link cable and hustling each other over which is actually better in the trad. TGIF TV, Saturday Morning Cartoons.
I guess if you didn't experience all of this it would be hard to understand, I do really miss it, I'd like to go back for a few days for fun, but I wouldn't want to go back, I'm turning 40, getting to 40 and being somewhat successful was hard hah, I dont want to do that all again.

 

[Yoboman]

I mean it was good from the perspective of everyone being more social and outside. But everybody forgets those long stretches of boredom. Scrolling channels trying to find something not awful, rereading books and comics or playing games on repeat cause you didn't have enough entertainment options

 

[DaleinCalgary]

On the first bolded part:
Look, I get there was a ton of great music in the 80's--no sane person would argue against that statement. However, the horrible synthesizer sounds that invaded nearly all genres of music have not aged well (that's assuming they were ever good to begin with). Just thinking of those Roland 808 sounds... ugh.

Oh I wont disagree on the keyboards. How about I change that to best variety of music decade. There was just so many bands doing different things and sounds and beats. Today it's all the same and okay for 2-3 weeks then goes away forever. There are no classics made anymore.

- runs and yells at a cloud

 

[Davesky]

I mean it was good from the perspective of everyone being more social and outside. But everybody forgets those long stretches of boredom. Scrolling channels trying to find something not awful, rereading books and comics or playing games on repeat cause you didn't have enough entertainment options

It could be argued that was actually a good thing. I miss being forced to sit in the family living room and watch something I didn't want to watch so would go into my own wee world or get a pack of playing cards and try to create my very own card game to distract myself. Learning to cope with boredom and still be happy is more important than always having to rely on media to pass the time.

 

[jason10mm]

Yes, culturally it was sublime and will never be topped. However HIV ruined the 80's/90's for us in the way that mattered

Late 60's, 70's seemed to have been the sweet spot if you could avoid going to 'Nam.

 

[Nydius]

As a child of the 80s and teen of the early 90s, I have an inherent bias to say yes, yes you did miss out.

I miss when people were more neighborly and not glued to their screens. Drinking from the hose, being able to stay out until the street lamps came on. We still had plenty of video games. 1988, I was still using my Dad's Atari 2600 and had my own NES. Plus there were arcades. The 24 hour news cycle hadn't quite been invented yet so you weren't constantly being bombarded by partisan talking heads on TV.

Alas, nostalgia is a helluva drug and all we can do is live in the here and now.

 

[CGNoire]

The biggest loss was losing our Unified Culture in the states.

There where still tons of sub cultures but we all had a recognizable zeitgeist that artist would pull from when crafting entertainment. There was an clear understanding between satire and reality. Movies where also way less self serious and would frequently wink at the camera either visually or via fun innuendos or one liners reminding everyone that this is entertainment not real life. These characters arent supposed to be role models and only religous conservatives complained about that shit and everyone collectivly just ignored them something modern corporations need to understand.

The constant assualt on the culture of the past is one of the most existentialy causing issues we deal with today. No I dont want to live in a world where everyone has there own personal subculture and doesnt understand how anyone outside it thinks. We should all be opposed to that future.

 

[Dr. Claus]

The 80s, 90s, and even early 2000s were all amazing. Each had its upsides and downsides. However, it wasn't really until around 2012 that things hit a... turning point. A point of regression. Increased racism and bigotry. People denying basic science. Retards caring more about their political affiliations than maintaining personal relationships.

Social Media has ruined our society.

 

[CGNoire]

I mean it was good from the perspective of everyone being more social and outside. But everybody forgets those long stretches of boredom. Scrolling channels trying to find something not awful, rereading books and comics or playing games on repeat cause you didn't have enough entertainment options

Long stretches of bordom are a pre-requisite for having a truly memorable experience. Juxtaposition and Contrast are a key to happiness.

 

[AJUMP23]

80s was an exceptional decade to be a kid. We had freedom to roam, great video games, great kids movies that had actual thought in them. We saw the rise the digital age, but enjoyed wonder of seeing computers become common place. Schools taught critical thinking. It was a great time.

 

[CGNoire]

It could be argued that was actually a good thing. I miss being forced to sit in the family living room and watch something I didn't want to watch so would go into my own wee world or get a pack of playing cards and try to create my very own card game to distract myself. Learning to cope with boredom and still be happy is more important than always having to rely on media to pass the time.

Yep. I didnt forget. It was a positive thing in the end. Too much entertainment and immediate gratification is spreading our minds thin...very thin.

 

[Days like these...]

I used to rent NES games on the weekend and beat them in two days. We would skateboard downtown till 1 or 2 in the morning. Life was good.

 

[StreetsofBeige]

Great decades.

Families and friends did shit together.... game, watch TV, go together to the store etc....

Now, everything is tech based, people can be loners doing their own thing.

Watching hockey games with fam and friends were happy times. There was no internet, no cellphone scoring updates, watching online replays or anything like that. You sat there at game time with a bowl of chips and pop and watched together as human beings cheering or ribbing each other.

 

[Lasha]

The early 2000s were the peak of civilization. Internet was widely available yet limited by the need to access from a PC. The spread of smartphones killed the fun.

 

[Madflavor]

Let's talk video games...

If you were born in 80s or early 90s, then you brought up during the most innovative time for gaming. You were there to experience each graphical leap between each system. Today we take small baby steps toward making games looking prettier and prettier, but back then the gulf between graphical power between each console generation was enormous. The PS1 and PS2 in particular...you had to live and experienced that time first hand to understand how incredible it was. But it wasn't just graphics. Innovation in gameplay genres and storytelling really took off in the mid 90s onward. It wasn't like today where every AAA game was a 3rd Person Open World Adventure, or a FPS. Game Developers were allowed to experiment with gameplay because it was new, and they weren't as beholden to the shareholders as they are now. Games didn't take nearly as long to make, so you would get great news games by the same developer sometimes within the same year. On top of that you just had genuinely talented game developers with brilliant and creative visions. This paved the way for the most legendary and beloved video games we've ever had.

Going to school, rushing through your homework, watching The Simpsons and Wrestling, and playing Ocarina of Time, Resident Evil 2, or Final Fantasy VII. It defined so many kids from our generation. Then when the early 2000s hit and we got titles like Final Fantasy X, Metal Gear Solid 2, GTA 3, Diablo 2 and Starcraft, goddamn it was an amazing time to grow up.




I say all this because while nostalgia is a powerful drug and certain lends to why we look back so fondly on these decades, there are also legitimate reasons why we do.

 

[RoboFu]

Definitely missed out on 80s and 90s probably 60s and 70s as well.
Each decade was completely different than the other. But since the 00s everything’s just been the same like before the 60s.

 

[Chronicle]

Way back in the 80's and 90 s when the world was still round.

Those were the days. Things made sense.

 

[StreetsofBeige]

I used to rent NES games on the weekend and beat them in two days. We would skateboard downtown till 1 or 2 in the morning. Life was good.

I remember renting NES games after school for $2/day or $5 or 3 days. It was probably 10 minutes of extra time to do the trek but worth it. Id walk through this big high brush field too since I didn't want to walk around it which was more time. This was the shadiest video store too, but everything was fine.

I remember having a chat with the guy as he'd ask which games should he buy. At the time, all I know is arcade games without really thinking if the game would actually come to NES, so I'd say try to buy Saturday Night's Main Event, Black Tiger and Mat Mania.

 

[Days like these...]

I remember renting NES games after school for $2/day or $5 or 3 days. It was probably 10 minutes of extra time to do the trek but worth it. Id walk through this big high brush field too since I didn't want to walk around it which was more time. This was the shadiest video store too, but everything was fine.

I remember having a chat with the guy as he'd ask which games should he buy. At the time, all I know is arcade games without really thinking if the game would actually come to NES, so I'd say try to buy Saturday Night's Main Event, Black Tiger and Mat Mania.

Back then you had to rent games on box art, screenshots and word of mouth. Youtube reviews?

 

[Kacho]

Yes you missed out. Girls were fucking chill, hot, and easy to lay. Music was dope and video games were peaking. Everything was firing on all cylinders at the time.

Also cars were aesthetically pleasing

 

[CGNoire]

The early 2000s were the peak of civilization. Internet was widely available yet limited by the need to access from a PC. The spread of smartphones killed the fun.

Yep. It makes that quote from Mr Smith about 1999 being the peak of human civilization carry so much additional weight now.

 

[Smiggs]

Oh I wont disagree on the keyboards. How about I change that to best variety of music decade. There was just so many bands doing different things and sounds and beats. Today it's all the same and okay for 2-3 weeks then goes away forever. There are no classics made anymore.

- runs and yells at a cloud

Oh, I agree 100% on the different bands trying different things. Hell, look at Metallica, Prince, Bon Jovi, and even Madonna. Not even remotely close in style, but all still massively successful and unique--something we may never see again unless things change. in the music industry.

But I'll even give you one more thing to bolster your argument: movies in the 80's were often new and unique. We haven't had much of those of those things in decades, honestly.

 

[killatopak]

Best time as a kid really. Everyone was literally outside playing. Such a wonderful time. It was 90’s to 2000‘s that was the height of wrestling too. I was there DDTing girls on their bedrooms.

 

[AJUMP23]

And you didn’t really miss out. You had the childhood you had and it was good for you, but the older people had a great one too.

 

[Nydius]

Also cars were aesthetically pleasing

My first car was a second hand 85 Pontiac Sunbird LE. It’s certainly no muscle car design or anything, just the standard GM J-body that was shared between Pontiac, Oldsmobile, and Buick back then. But I loved the style. I still prefer it to most modern mass market cars.

That car took me all over the damn place. Cooperstown, Hersheypark, Atlanta Olympics, NYC, Myrtle Beach, and so many more.

Couldn’t afford to get a new transmission when it went up at 190k miles and gave it to one of those charities where they repair cars for needy people. I still miss her.

 

[Darkmakaimura]

I love the 80s when I was a kid except for high school. The 90s are perhaps my favorite decade. What a wild time. Lots of great music and people were pretty sensible compared to today.

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

Pre smart phone > Post smart phone

 

[Werewolf Jones]

First time huh? I was born in 1990 and gooning out over The Phantom Menace while you were born.

But... Playing Vice City when I was 12 in 2002 did awaken a latent desire within me that I might have missed the best decade. I grew up in the 90s/early 2000s and it was fine.

 

[SegaShack]

Bit of context here. I was born in 99' and have only known life with the internet.

I can remember days before smartphones but I feel that I miss the world before it. The ability to get information about almost anything at anytime makes life easier.

I'm not saying anything negative about anyone but people growing up now are seeing a completely sad world ruled by tech.

I can remember how different things were during the beginning of the internet in the early 2000s before social media came and wonder how much more exciting the 80s/90s may have been to experience. This advancement in technology and the internet is scary and whenever I see something from the the 80s it is presented in such a way where such life seemed much more fun and happy at that time but this new generation growing up now missed out.

Eh people get nostalgic over their childhood. 80s/90s kids all growing up heard how great the 50s and 60s were.

The internet changed the world both for better and worse but no decade is perfect.

You can watch every 80s movie, book, and play every 80s videogame instantly from your computer in the 2020s.

 

[wondermega]

Man I am so. so. SO happy we didn't have social media and all this shit, everyone with a damn smart phone, until a good bunch of time after I was out of college and got to experience a bunch of life as a young adult. Even in the early 00s when I was a scenester and social media was starting to pick up, in the early days it was nowhere near as ubiquitous as it is now.

I am not gonna sit here and pretend that we live in a truly incredible time between medicine, overall luxury, technology, and progressiveness - it's a fascinating age. Everyone has access to way more media across the board than they know what to do with, it's all fucking STREAMING on demand either cheap-ish subscription or basically plenty of FREE options, you just need a laptop/phone/console whatever to consume it.. self driving cars are finally coming.. you can get food or booze or drugs (depending on where you live) of just about any sort delivered to your damned door.

And this thing blows me away the most. Gaf was the first "big" forum I had regular involvement with, and since then things like FB/twitter/reddit, never mind Youtube and Instagram and etc, you can hold convos with people in real-time basically all over the world, talk about the most mundane shit. Even work is different, I am on a small team with people from all over the world, and no one even thinks that is any kind of strange anymore. Om top of that, if I want to learn.. um.. ANYTHING, say programming multiplayer in Unity for example, I can just look it up on Youtube and find a well-produced video (or 12) explaining how to do that in very accessible terms.

So yeah if 1990s me saw what 2023 me has, his brain would probably melt down in many ways. But on the flipside of all of this.. yeah, the world just seemed overall happier, friendlier. There wasn't the "societal reckoning" that we have (on a daily basis) now. Some of that is necessary for growth, sure, but whereas it felt like we were really progressing steadily, now it feels like a crazy battlefield of back-and-forth and everyone just feels wistful for how things used to be socially, or just bitter that anyone who thinks even a little differently than they do isn't immediately sent out into oblivion.

So yeah, no matter what time you were born in this post-industrious world, things have been changing steadily. Sometimes better, sometimes worse, sometimes too murky to tell. I guess in another 20 years from now we will look back at this period somehow wistfully as well and some of the shit we whine about "being world-ending" from the early 2020's will feel quaint compared to whatever unimaginably complex fucked up weirdo shit is going on then.

So just enjoy the here and now I guess. To quote Bill & Ted, "Be excellent to each other.."

 

[demigod]

I know this might sound hard for some of you, but we actually rode bikes back in the 80s/90s(best music too). I did so much fun stuff with my friends. Rent movies/games, watch morning cartoons before school, shoot birds with bb guns, go to the arcades, skating rings, play football, raced to see who the fastest kid was. Friends actually CAME OVER to play VIDEOGAMES.

The internet, ipad, iphones pretty much killed most of that.

 

[Northeastmonk]

I read something in a book about Mortal Kombat that helps describe what it was like in the 90’s. When you knew other people around you didn’t know how to combo or perform certain moves, you felt powerful, knowledgeable, and unstoppable. We live in a society that’s constantly connected, information arrives before companies announce it, and etc.

I was born in the mid 80’s, but I don’t remember the 80’s. I remember the 90’s. There was this feeling of knowledge having more meaning than it does today. Instead of learning or seeing something for the first time. You see more and more people experience the entire thing before you get a chance.

I feel like kids now a days don’t have that feeling of being the only kid on the block. There’s now a Tweet that tells you that you aren’t the first kid doing X, Y, and Z.

I think you also have kids who are a product of their own time. They don’t have the same value nor do they care about the same things we did.

 

[StreetsofBeige]

All lot of us who grew up during those decades pretty much unanimously agree simpler times were more fun, even if things took longer to do and seem archaic to modern times.

But one thing that 100x times improved people's happiness or said another way decreased people's unhappiness is that your news and people were who you knew and whatever limited stuff you read in the newspaper or watched on TV news. And not every house even subscribed to a newspaper. So for many people, life was just what you lived at home, at work and what you might had heard from people or news. That's it. Even if you lived and breathed news and magazines 24/7, what is published by corporations is sanitized and safe to consume and professionally written. It's not the net of cussing, bullying, trolling, doxing etc... If someone disagreed with a newspaper, that's kind of it. You disagree with someone on Twitter, and next thing you know someone calls you an asshole or the OP blocks you. Then you call him as ass back. For some people it'll affect their mind if they do it long enough.

You didn't have 24/7 news, tweets, baity sites, attention whores making a career out of being an influencer. People just got normal jobs.

And what you get from all that extra news, media and information is often political, divisive, and people complaining. As every media site and Howard stern would say himself I heard on radio is "conflict draws ratings". And to be honest they are kind of right. And that's what we all get exposed to more.

And with that, some people can handle it, some people go ape shit. No wonder so many people (especially teenagers) seem so depressed now. They've grown up with fast paced tech combined with social media. You'd think the internet would do the opposite as everything you can read and have fun with is free (including free gaming). Hell, you dont even have to go through the hassle of filling out paper forms and mailing it. You save time doing online templates.

It goes to show humans cant handle it when things get too fast. But also humans are so curious, most cant help but keep doing it. And sometimes that makes things more fun or more detrimental.

 

[Smokken]

The 80s, 90s, and even early 2000s were all amazing. Each had its upsides and downsides. However, it wasn't really until around 2012 that things hit a... turning point. A point of regression. Increased racism and bigotry. People denying basic science. Retards caring more about their political affiliations than maintaining personal relationships.

Social Media has ruined our society.

Couldn't agree more about social media. It really turned everything to shit. Worst creation in human history. Turned narcissism into overdrive.

 

[Gamerfan81]

Born in '81, so I remembered the 80s probably from '85 onwards. I was a teen and young adult going off to college in '99, so experienced the 90s too and the rise of the internet and video games becoming more sophisticated.

No doubt there were some cool things and events in the 80s and 90s, but remembered there was also the crack epidemic for the inner cities, AIDS was going on, the Oklahoma city bombings happened in '95 and Columbine happened during my senior year of high school ( alot of school shootings now are copycats of Columbine) in fact the 2 psychos are the same age as me! There was a lot of urban decay, gang violence in the major cities of the US. In fact the 80s to around late 90s (around 1997) there was a major problem with crimes, especially violent crime. From the late 90s and onwards there has been a sharp decline on crimes. Don't get me wrong, I love the 80s and 90s, it is my childhood and young adulthood, but its also looked through rose color glasses far too much.

Everyone has nostalgia for their childhood and formative years. My parents loved the 1950s when Ike was President and when they were small kids. The 1950s also had a lot of great stuff, but was not perfect. Just enjoy the era you grew up in.

 

[NeoIkaruGAF]

I loved not going around with an expensive device that has the keys to my daily life at all times. Just a slim wallet with a couple of notes inside, and if you lost it, no biggie.

I also miss not having to charge a dozen different devices every day or so. TVs and lightbulbs consumed much more energy, but you were lucky to have 1 PC you didn’t use all day, and anything portable run for an eternity with one or two puny batteries.

And no passwords. Jesus, passwords. Sooner or later I’ll need to log in to my electric toothbrush.