Space Invaders is 30. It first came out in April 1978.
It came out the following year in Italy, when the new arcade halls were booming. We had one in my home town, Monselice, where i used to hang around, always short of 100 or 200 Lire coins.
I played a lot and became one of the best, i signed my records as Camel Bill, but i didn't know I was that good until the following summer, 1980.
That was my first trip abroad, to Oxford, England, to learn English. Once in a while we'd find a pub and we'd play the game.
The last time I was almost missing the return flight, I was so into the game, and a small crowd of british teenagers formed around me in awe. I scored the all time record for that joint, and I remember I felt kind of proud, while I was signing that English video game with my Camel Bill marque, while grabbing my hand luggage and rushing to the bus to the airport.
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