i'm reviewing this title, even though i don't think video games SHOULD be included in the IMDb (precisely BECAUSE of their interactive nature; film and television have traditionally been conceived of as PASSIVE media). it must have been nineteen eighty five. i was going to college in brunswick, maine, and an arcade in that town had one of the "hang on" video games. (i don't even know if you could call it an arcade. it was a small section of a chain store and this might have been the only game it had.) prior to my encounter with "hang on," i had had very little experience with video gaming, but as soon as i tried "hang on," i was hooked. i loved the mock up of the motorcycle handlebars and enjoyed careening down the track passing the other racers. i didn't know there was a "qualifying" heat until i actually found myself in "the race." (during all the time i was building up expertise in order to qualify, i thought the qualifying heat WAS the race.) this game gobbled up quarter after quarter and i ended up becoming addicted to it. i spent hours playing "hang on" when i should have been studying. to this day i miss those carefree hours of "hang on" playing and wish that i still had access to one of these games................
