20 Things Only 30-Something Gamers Will Understand
5. Why Did The Frog Cross The Road?
Because he couldn't be toad (groan).
Frogger came straight from the arcade halls and proved that it wasn't easy being green. On one hand it's about roadkill, on the other hand it's an emotional survival story.
The most popular version was on the Atari 2600 as gamers became a frog (imagine the pitch inside Konami HQ) whose sole mission was to get from one side of the road to the other.
It was basic and really hard, thanks in part to the multiple death scenarios including jumping into an alligator's jaws, riding a log off-screen, running out of time or being squashed by oncoming traffic.
To keep playing required hours upon hours of serious Kermit-ment.
More than 20m people worldwide own Frogger, not all of them are animal rights activists, for anyone who grew up playing Frogger that now hurtles along a real-life highway will feel deep pangs of regret should they ever squash a toad - which is why statistically they're safer drivers. Probably.