I think the consensus is that Europe was home computer land, while the US and Japan were game console land.
replyEspecially the Amiga and Atari ST were much bigger in Europe than the US (mainly in Germany and the UK, and for Atari ST also France).
I think my favorite game of the 80's was Carrier Command on the Atari ST. I don't know how well it would hold up today if I played it, but at the time I spent many happy afternoons and evenings piloting my carrier around.
replyThere's a Carrier Command 2 now, I didn't get too far yet into the game, but it seems to be a nice mix of retro vs modernization:
replyhttps://store.steampowered.com/app/1489630/Carrier_Command_2...
I was born mid 80s in Germany to Americans and had the internet and computers as a wee child, moved to America early 90s and felt like I was the only person in my not-California State with a PC until I was in high school in the 98-00s. I don't remember ever not having a computer. I remember my parents healthcare friends being the only people I knew who owned Apples, for imaging hearts etc.
replyI mention not being in California because back then when I was online everybody else online was from California or Europe. I feel like my career would've sped up about 15 years if I had grown up in CA..
But with that said, I'm way older now and I still can count the number of my friends actually into building PCs and what not on one hand. ALL of my friends have always been console gamers. I have a 22 year old Steam account and I think I might have 2 IRL friends on it.