Conall Lynch
This blog is just a nostalgic trip for me to think back to a simpler time where I didn’t care about what my hair looked like and I was playing manhunt every weekend. Back when every computer in school wasn’t being monitored by your teacher and their parents you used to be able to do whatever you wanted when that glorious time came to “Practice typing” or “learn Microsoft word”. Teachers always gave you way more time than you needed so 90% of this time was spent trying out the new online game you heard about from your friend that day at lunch. I know this might make me sound old but keep in mind, this was back in middle school, and all we had for entertainment. Here are my personal top 5:
5. Poptropica
Poptropica is a game where you create a character and explore using your mouse. There was a lot you could do in the game, but my friends and I used to huddle around 1 computer and time ourselves to see who could beat this game the fastest. If we were lucky, and there were 2 computers in the classroom, we would race each other and have a tournament every month. The game is still around today and has the same look and feel to it. (
4. Age Of War
Age Of War was one of those games that were easy to win and that’s the only reason I liked it. Yes, there were harder difficulties, but I really enjoyed playing on easy and going for as long as I could. It’s a game where you work your way through different eras of history, consistently upgrading your defenses and weapons. This game also has one of the best/worst songs ever. Mainly due to the fact that it’s just one song on repeat throughout the 30-40 minute game, you are playing.
3. Club Penguin
Club Penguin is an obvious choice. This was a game that I played with my friends… but from our own houses. That’s right. This probably was the first game I played that used the internet and allowed you to play with your friends. This was also the first game where you could talk to people all around the world and you know my 12-year-old self never said anything bad or cancellable there… However, ever since Disney bought it back in 2017 Club Penguin is no longer available and I am sad. Also, those Puffle things were fucking cute.
2. Halo
The first Halo game is not only something I played late at night at my friend’s house but on school computers as well. I still have my flash drive with a copy of Halo on it that we all used to bring into school and play on a LAN server together. Nerdy right? Wrong. Doing your schoolwork is nerdy. Shooting each other with rocket launchers in a server named: “Tim’s mom is hot” is the coolest thing ever. the hardest part about this was trying to contain my rage and not get caught by my teacher.
1. Bloons Tower Defense
I have this game at number 1 because I still play it. Or at least a version of it. I fell in love with Bloons Tower Defense when my friend showed me it in school one day saying “I can never get the super monkey” (the super monkey is the best monkey in the game and can pop the most bloons… fucking idiots). I made it my goal to prove that I am better than him and went home to achieve my dream. It took me 4 days of playing in and out of school before I was finally able to buy the super monkey. I told my friend immediately and he didn’t believe me. I had no way of proving it because he wasn’t in my class and I didn’t have a phone, so still to this day, when I buy a super monkey in Bloons Tower Defense 6 (yes there are 6 and I’ve owned each one) I know somewhere, someplace that piece of shit is crying naked in a sewer because he can somehow know that I am better than him.
