There are a few things that make a man a man, most of these come through at puberty and are harrowing and traumatic affairs, one however was something I looked forward to greatly; Growing facial hair. To me having a beard was a true sign of manhood, it made me think of rockstars, bikers, lumberjacks and Brian Blessed, all things that as a young teenager you aspire to be.

 As I reached the ability to grow facial hair I unfortunately could only manage a mustache and a couple of random hairs on my chin. Over a decade later I’m sat typing this with a beard that hides half my face and hasn’t even been trimmed in 4 months. In games you don’t see the day to day annoyances of owning a beard, mild itching, food and drink sitting proud on the hair based nest and people’s assumption that you are either homeless or a danger to them.

 As such I think we should celebrate the bushy bearded heroes and villains of gaming history for the effort and trials they face in maintaining facial fur. If you think I’ve missed a seminal bearded character off the list leave a comment below.

 

12. Geoff Capes – Strongman Challenge

Geoff Capes for the uninitiated was a two time World Strongest Man gold winner in the 80′s. These days he’s retired and his only real addition to society or entertainment is appearing in bad insurance adverts. Ignoring his current standing in the world of celebrity there was once a time where this man was a legend, someone held in high regard by all that knew of his Hulk like strength. He was well known enough to get his own ZX Spectrum game, Geoff Capes Strongman Challenge.

The game itself is reminiscent of Track and Field style mash buttons to get a desired result. Subliminally this game implants something into the gamers mind, if you want to be strong enough to pull a bus or lift a massive log above your head you need a beard. Whether it’s early implantation of the Sampson ‘hair gives strength’ story or the site of a man lifting boulders onto barrels you can’t help but associate Geoff Capes beard with muscular feats.

 

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