I am like, super-mega stoked that the latest historical character is from the 1980s. That's awesome! And she's a Val, y'know, like OMG!
Seriously, the video game thing rings very true. I played a lot of Pac-Man and Space Invaders in the early '80s. And I remember trying to design a game with a friend of mine; suffice to say, it was highly MTV-influenced. I've heard some people object to Courtney's Pac-Man fixation, on the grounds that that game was no longer "in" in 1986. "Which is why it works," said I. "If it was still a popular game, teenagers would hog the machine, and a nine-year-old girl wouldn't have a chance. The teenagers were lining up for Galaga by that time."
Which brings me to something that doesn't quite ring true. I don't recall every being sneered at by a boy for my video-game abilities or lack of. I *do* remember more than one girl looking aghast when she saw me playing, or I mentioned it. Because video games were what *guys* did. And girls couldn't do what guys did. Because then they wouldn't be seen as girls, and the guys would never ask them out. Whatever. I think I was better off hanging out with guys and having long-term friendships, than having a series of boyfriends who were never seen again after the breakup. But it's funny to look back and see how despite some gender barriers being broken (Title IX, for instance), it took a while for girls and women to let go of the "A woman needs a maaaaaan!" mindset.
Anyway, finally an era I really lived through! I was a teenager in the '80s: turned 16 in '86. Which makes me three years older than Courtney's stepsister. Julie's world is somewhat familiar to me; I was alive for it, if too young to participate much. I have much clearer memories of Challenger, Live Aid, Chernobyl, Princess Diana, and MTV. Courtney's first book has it almost exactly* right! Although the '80s were a somewhat different experience in the flyover states, which I can get into if anyone's interested.
*I beg to differ on "No duh!". IME, that was what you said to someone who had pointed out the obvious. "No school today -- it's a snow day." "No duh! Dad can't even get his car out of the driveway."
OMG, right? Courtney's character is so totally tubular, and I love that they chose the '80s for her era too! The whole Pac-Man thing totally makes sense to me – even though it wasn’t the hottest game by '86, it’s believable that Courtney would get time on the machine because the older kids were off playing newer games like Galaga. You hit the nail on the head with that!
As for the whole "girls don’t play video games" thing, I feel you. The idea that video games were just for guys was definitely out there. It’s wild to look back and think about how gender expectations were still so rigid, even after big strides like Title IX. It’s funny because, like you said, playing video games with the guys probably led to more meaningful friendships than chasing after fleeting high school romances!
By the way, speaking of video games, have you checked out this new one I've been playing? It's a color prediction game called 82 Lottery. It’s super fun and totally worth trying if you love arcade-style games with a twist of strategy. Anyway, loving the Courtney vibes and totally here for more '80s nostalgia!