Est. 1998
Playing Out of Control Gaming

Retro reviews, vintage hardware, classic PC builds, and modern ways to keep old games alive.

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/ Adam Richardson

USPS Video Game Stamp

Confirming their enormous impact on American culture and entertainment, the United States Postal Service (USPS) reported that consumers have overwhelmingly chosen the growth of video games as the most memorable reflection of the 1980s.

USPS Video Game Stamp is the story today, and it is the kind of late-April 1999 news blast that makes the pre-E3 season feel like someone kicked the hornet nest. Confirming their enormous impact on American culture and entertainment, the United States Postal Service (USPS) reported that consumers have overwhelmingly chosen the growth of video games as the most memorable reflection of the 1980s. As a result, the USPS will design a commemorative video game stamp as part of its Celebrate the Century series heralding, among other things, the most memorable people, events, technology and lifestyle trends of the 1980s. Video games date back to 1972 when the first commercial game, Pong, landed in a Silicon Valley bar. Today the video/PC game industry remains the fastest-growing segment of the entertainment business with last year’s revenues topping $6 billion.

It may not be the same thrill as a fresh demo, but this stuff shapes what actually reaches players. Boring paperwork today can turn into games on shelves tomorrow.