In our latest Antstream Arcade Twitch Superstar feature, we chat to another of the wonderful
people spreading the retro gaming glory of Antstream Arcade via streaming platforms. This week, we proudly present MrSteJ, answering questions on his gaming history, favourite games, Antstream Arcade and more. You can catch Ste on Twitch and on Twitter @MrSteJ.
On with the retro inquisition!
Antstream Arcade: Hello Ste! What are your earliest memories of gaming?
Ste: Hello! It was probably playing Centipede on the Atari 2600 with my dad. He was absolutely made up that he could slaughter our scores – my brothers and I had no chance! I think it’s the only game he ever liked playing, and we often chat about it when we go into ‘back in the day’ mode.”
AA: Ah, you can’t beat a bit of competitive family gaming! What was your first computer or console?
Ste: It was the Atari 2600 Junior. I was obsessed with it as a kid and I think I still am. The games were simple, when you could work them out, and it kept you entertained for hours. The box art still looks incredible even if the games do struggle to keep your attention these days.
AA: What game first captured your imagination?
Ste: Oh crikey that’s a tough one. The first that comes to mind is The Legend Of Zelda: A Link To The Past on the Super Nintendo. It was probably the first ‘proper’ RPG I’d ever played and I remember being totally obsessed with the story. It was also the first game I remember staying up past midnight as a kid as I was so invested. It sounds silly now but that was a big deal for me at the time!
AA: We’ve all been there! What was your favourite era for gaming?
Ste: As much as I love the Eighties, I’d probably have to go with the early Nineties, specifically the 16-bit era. The Sega Mega Drive and Super Nintendo blew me away. It was a time when gaming was getting a bit more mainstream and the likes of GamesMaster was on the telly. It was an exciting time to be a gamer!
AA: When and how did you start streaming?
Ste: I actually came to Twitch as a musician playing ambient guitar streams, which I still do now and again. But after dabbling in streaming retro I became obsessed. I’ve been a collector/hoarder for years and it’s sort of given me an outlet of ‘justification’ to keep on collecting.
AA: How do you choose which games to stream?
Ste: I mainly try and play through games I never had access to growing up such as point and click
adventure games. I also like to hook up some original hardware and mess about with classic or janky retro games. I obviously make room for Antstream Arcade streams too!
AA: Glad to hear it! Do you get a good response streaming Antstream Arcade?
Ste: It’s great! I love receiving game suggestions as well as challenges as everyone else can take part in the stream.
AA: What do you think of Antstream Arcade?
Ste: I love it. Having so many arcade games at your fingertips allows you to properly learn how to
play them. I could never really afford to play on arcades when I was a kid so I had to settle for
watching others play. Now, when I got to the likes of Arcade Club in Bury, I can play the likes of
Tapper or Robotron all day, having been educated through Antstream.
AA: On the spot time – favourite game of all time?
Ste: That’d be Shadowrun on the Super Nintendo. I remember borrowing it from a friend when I was a kid and I was completely hooked. I was obsessed with Blade Runner growing up and Shadowrun ticked all those dystopian boxes. The soundtrack is fantastic, too.
AA: As one of our partner streamers, do you have any suggestions on improvements we can make?
Ste: I’d like to see some Flash games added to Antstream, for example Elf Bowling was quite a fun
little Christmas game that’d be fun to play around the festive season. Otherwise, I’d like to see a
quick restart for challenges and a random game option.
AA: Some great ideas there, thanks! Finally, MrSteJ, on a scale of 1 to 10, how geeky are you?
Ste: Oh wow. Well, I’m a retro gamer, ambient musician and a Trekkie. So I guess I must be a 10!
Sure sounds like it to us! Our thanks to Ste for his time – stay tuned for another Antstream Arcade streaming superstar profile soon!