TV Glows and Late Night-Saves

Most kids growing up played outside and explored nature, but instead I was exploring inside with my Game Boy Advance and PS1. The worlds I visited felt limitless, and even now, they’ve never really left me. The thrill of finding a rare shiny Pokémon. The awe of stepping into Final Fantasy VII and wandering through unfamiliar places. Even that awful headache from staying up far past bedtime, staring at the TV way too late into the night.

In this list, I’m sharing ten memories from growing up with games, and why they still mean so much to me today.

Jump to a Memory:

• 1. Boot Screens
• 2. Renting Games Blindly
• 3. Leaving My Console On Overnight
• 4. Falling Asleep to Looping Music
• 5. Sitting Too Close to the TV
• 6. Watching Someone Else Play
• 7. Being Scared but Wanting More
• 8. Saving Before Bed
• 9. The One Game I Never Finished
• 10. The Feeling When It Was Time to Turn It Off

1. Boot Screens

This bootup could be heard for miles, literally.

Turning on the PlayStation meant hearing an unbelievable cascade of sound. It built slowly, then hit like a wave. I remember my parents yelling at me more times than I can count to turn the damn TV down.

It wasn’t my fault though. Sometimes I’d watch TV and the volume would be low, so I’d turn it up. Then I’d switch to the PS1 and the boot screen would explode through the house like a sonic boom. Ears bleeding. Walls shaking. Everyone awake.

To this day, I still grab the remote before turning on a console out of pure habit. I’m always bracing for that logo and that sound to slam into me. Boot screens are basically extinct now, but the moment I hear anything even close to that PS1 or Game Boy startup, my brain prepares for nostalgia and mild verbal abuse.

2. Renting Games Blindly

I miss renting from here, honestly.

Does anyone else miss Blockbuster? I know I do.

There was something magical about your parents taking you there. While they wandered into questionable sections, I’d sprint into the game aisles hunting for hidden gems. The shelves were packed with jewel cases, and I’d get overwhelmed fast. I could only rent one game, and I only had it for a few days. No internet. No Google. Just vibes.

Most of the time I picked based on cover art, or how thick the case was. More discs obviously meant a better game. Duh.

Sometimes it was a home run like Toy Story 2. Other times it was a dud I barely survived halfway through like Blasto. Either way, it was childhood gambling. You never knew what you were getting.

3. Leaving My Console On Overnight

I left it on at night, all the time. Oops

Oof. I hated this.

Waking up to a warm PS1 felt like I’d committed some kind of crime. Like I’d sinned against technology and my console was now doomed. I didn’t have much growing up, so my PlayStation was sacred. Every time I realized I’d fallen asleep with it on, my heart sank.

• What if it broke?
• What if my parents walked in and thought I was fake-sleeping?
• What if this was the night everything ended?

That anxiety stuck with me. Even now, I obsessively turn off my consoles and PC. But I also have fond memories of my PS1 pulling late-nighters with Final Fantasy. Did it actually hurt anything? Not really. Kid-me didn’t know that. He powered down every time like his console’s life depended on it.

4. Falling Asleep to Looping Music

The same songs on repeat for hours.

We all have that one retro song that randomly pops into our heads years later. The reason is simple.

We fell asleep to it.

Old games loved looping music. Digimon World could play the same track forever. So when you drifted off with the TV still on, that melody carved itself into your brain.

Congrats. You now have an earworm for life.

Luckily, most retro game music is incredible. Hearing it today hits straight in the gut. You’re back in front of that glowing screen, fighting heavy eyelids and sweaty hands. The music is permanently engraved into us, but honestly, is that such a bad thing?

5. Sitting Too Close to the TV

I sat way too close.

I had bad eyesight my entire childhood. My parents didn’t notice until I was about nine, so before that, I sat right up on the TV.

It also made everything feel more immersive, so I leaned into it. Was it healthy? No. Was it mine? Absolutely.

My mom constantly warned me I’d ruin my eyes. She was right. But maybe I wouldn’t have been three inches from the screen if I’d had glasses.

6. Watching Someone Else Play

I was a backseat gamer, I'm sorry.

Backseat gaming was my calling.

Didn’t matter who you were or how good you were. I was sitting behind you, offering “helpful” commentary you never asked for. My sister hated it. I always had a critique ready.

When the roles reversed though, I couldn’t stand it. Nobody was allowed to tell me how to play.

I grew out of that. Now I love watching others discover things for the first time. That’s probably why I adore Twitch and streams today. Seeing someone’s joy when they stumble into something magical is still magical.

7. Being Scared but Wanting More

So many nights, just like this.

Silent Hill and Resident Evil were constant companions in my PS1 era.

Pitch dark room. Face glued to the TV. Heart pounding as I crept through fog, waiting for something terrible to happen.

Part of me wanted it to end. I was stressed, terrified, exhausted. But another part wanted more. That feeling was addictive.

When I finally worked through most of the PS1 horror catalog, I felt oddly empty. All I wanted was to be scared like that again.

8. Saving Before Bed

Always save, seriously.

I learned this lesson the hard way.

Hours lost. Progress erased. All because I thought I saved.

So it became ritual. Game. Save. Sleep. Repeat.

Before bed, I’d save. Then save again. Just in case. These games were hard. I wasn’t replaying entire sections just to get back to where I was. Double save. Every night.

9. The One Game I Never Finished

Never did finish this one completely.

We all have one.

Too hard. Lost save. Rented and returned. It just sits there in your mind forever.

For me, it’s A Bug’s Life, Blasto, and Tomb Raider.

A Bug’s Life confused me. Blasto crashed and deleted my save. Tomb Raider never clicked, and Blockbuster time ran out.

Do I need to go back and finish them? Maybe.
Will I regret it on my deathbed? Absolutely not. That would be ridiculous.

10. The Feeling When It Was Time to Turn It Off

Time for bed..

Nothing hurt like finally making progress and hearing, “It’s time for bed.”

It was 10pm. I was nine. The controller felt heavier than it should. Pressing that big round power button hurt my soul.

The room went quiet. The glow vanished.

But immediately, I’d start thinking about tomorrow. About that screen lighting up again. About slipping back into whatever world was waiting for me.

Turning it off never felt good. Turning it back on made everything worth it.

Final Thoughts

These memories didn’t stay in the past. They followed me.

They became habits, instincts, tiny rituals that still live in my hands and my head. Reaching for the remote before a console turns on. Saving twice. Sitting a little too close. Loving the quiet hum of a menu screen.

Games didn’t just entertain me. They taught me how to wander, how to wait, how to feel wonder, fear, comfort, and anticipation all in the same night. Those worlds raised me in their own strange way.

Which of these memories feels like yours? And what did I miss?