Scan: Import Ad from 1997

[racketboy]

From Error Macro:
http://www.errormacro.com/2006/07/the_s ... at_imp.php

"There are times that I miss the days before anything and everything was all over the Internet. Sure, that information consolidation makes for a great resource, but it tends to have a homogenizing effect as well, sapping things of their specialness. There was a certain sense of exclusivity found in being a fan of a niche genre or medium, whereas now even the most obscure PC Engine RPG has an extensive Wikipedia entry detailing every character and plot point. Ten years ago, if you wanted video game music, you actually owned multiple disc soundtracks on CD. These days all you have to do is jump on a #gamemp3s torrent for a half hour.

But therein lies the flip side of the coin; exclusivity has a cost. Unless you lived in one of the handful of larger cities in the US that had an actual import store, you were reliant on mail-order importers that advertised in the back of magazines, like the now defunct Game Cave. Businesses that were not always on the up-and-up, not that I'm bitter or anything. The following ad comes from the back of the June 1997 issue of GameFan, arguably the final days before the Internet took over everything in earnest."

[grittykitty]

oh wow, i had that same issue of gamefan - i spent almost every day in the summer of 97 looking at that same game cave advertisement too! man, this takes me back. actually during that same summer i called every import store that placed an ad in the back of a video game magazine i owned (as far back as 1992) looking for super famicom games. of course, nearly all of the stores said "we stopped selling those a long time ago". it's definitely nice to have everything in arm's reach these days thanks to the internet, but a lot of times the fun of wonder is killed off because of this convenience. c'est la vie i guess

[Cerulean]

I wanted those games so bad.......