Those under 25: how well do you remember your life before the internet?

[Ickorus]

I didn't really enjoy life before I got the internet, didn't fit in at school, got bullied, those sorts of things.

I do remember some good things like climbing trees and making forts on a building site but unfortunately now parents don't let their kids have fun lest they scratch themselves.

Then those same parents wonder why their children withdraw into an online world, it offers them the freedom they don't get in reality.

I went on holiday recently and spent a week without any internet access and I got along perfectly fine, actually I tell a lie, I did have internet access but I chose not to use it.

 

[Fanta Grape]

For a week once, my internet went to dial-up speed. my God... The horror...

 

[shogunblade]

I remember not getting internet until I was about 7 or 8 (Dial-up, did you really exist?) and I'm 20. I didn't do all that much but I seemed content before the internet and I'm fine without it, just have to balance the time between the two (I mean Internet and Living).

 

[QuantumT]

I can remember life fairly well before the internet. I remember things like having to go the library to get materials to write my papers with, as opposed to now when almost all the material I need is a google search away. I think this will be true for most people, the internet exploded around the year 2000.

However, I'm 23 so I'm nearing the high side of the limit.

 

[LightningBanks]

I remember it well. fifa 98 on the worlds slowest computer

Glad to see I am not the only one who remembers FIFA 98. I was never much into sports games, but I loved FIFA 98 for the sheer fact that it had indoor football. =)

I used to love the indoor football, hence why I loved fifa street (the first one, before they decided to mess it up again) its always satisfying to score off the wall goals. If bthey put it back in, I may be tempted to buy the next fifa....second hand....in a years time....for free.

 

[Unstoppable Wall]

Fairly well considering we only got a computer and internet at my house a few years ago, about 3 or 4 years ago I think... anyhow I spent a lot of time playing single player RPG's and such. Recently spent just over a week in Europe without internet access, didn't mind it the least bit, was actually kind of refreshing.

Vidi, Volui, Mihi est
-Unstoppable Wall

 

[jasoncyrus]

24 myself, I didn't get net access until around '98, so i guess a bit of a late bloomer too (course I was 12 at the time). I honestly can't remember a time when I didn't have access to a computer (sure it was a relic by todays standards but it was still there)

 

[Swarley]

Not much, but I also don't remember most of the time after the internet either.

 

[XtremeMuffin]

I'm 20 and before the internet I had a Super Nintendo, almost every Goosebumps book, and Nickelodeon. So I was pretty set.

I do remember when we first started using internet in my house. Good old dial-up. Was only allowed on it for an hour a day I believe and half of it was starting it up.

 

[RandomWords]

There is a life without internet? I honestly can't remember...I know I had a life without internet, but now it is all a blur.

 

[Kermi]

I'm 27 but I feel like answering anyway. I first used the internet at age 14, at my uncle's house. We barely hard search engines then, I'd usually just visit chat rooms, and got bored fairly quickly.

I got internet access in my own home around 2 years later. By then all my friends were chatting on IRC, using ICQ, and using it as a legitimate study tool, but researching was still hard - we certainly had nothing that could measure up to Wikipedia today. I remember the first time I used a message board I was linked to one thread - it took me a week of constantly visiting that thread via bookmark for me to realise there were other threads, and indeed ENTIRE OTHER FORUMS where I could discuss a broad range of topics.

As far as hobbies, I would play games on my PC, watch TV. I read a lot, and enjoyed having knowledge in my head. I think the ease of access to information today has made fact finding far too easy and people have become lazy.

 

[The Rockerfly]

18
I used to play a lot of Psone games and I never watched films on my computer. I love downloading films

(all legally before anyone starts getting fussy)

 

[Kakujin]

Very well, I was doing a lot of the same things, but had no way of checking facts, which made life partly more fun and partly more annoying.

 

[Sovvolf]

I didn't even own a P.C until late 2007. My parents owned computers and I maybe had a few brief try's on them but I didn't get much chance to play on them because my parents played EQ,WOW and other MMO's. I even got to play on those games every now and again.

So I spent most my life without the internet given that it was 16-17 before I got the PC (I'm 19 now). I did get XBL much earlier though (2006 I think) but well before then I just played games single player. Wasn't too bad, I used to spend a great deal of time on Star Wars: Battlefront 1 and 2 in Single player bot matches. I don't even spend much time on XBL either to be honest. Too many screaming kids or very immature adults. I'd rather play games split screen or with friends. Which is why I think it's a pain when you can only get achievements in ranked matches where (on most games) you can't go in as a group.

I used to complete Fahrenheit (indigo prophecies) a lot too. Along with games like it. Played Sims 2 for the Xbox with friends... Wasn't all that bad without the internet to be honest with you. We still used to be able to have a fun time messing around. Wether it was on the consoles or just going outside (that mystical instance which doesn't have dragons or wizards but these other creatures called people. The A.I was okay I guess but they'd some times bug out...) and piss around.

 

[LandoCristo]

I played playstation games like Crash Bandicoot and Spyro the Dragon for hours at a time.

 

[Lord Krunk]

17 here.

Yeah, I remember life without the Internet. More books and less procrastination, that was the major difference a lack of the webs had on my life.

 

[Cazza]

I remember there was no internet but I didn't care because I had my SNES and N64. when there was internet(1998?) I think I still didn't care becuase I had my N64. Also their were freinds and sport. I only really got into the internet when I got my first computer in 2001-02.

 

[Alandoril]

I'm 26 and I hardly remember life before the internet.

 

[Bon_Clay]

20 years old, got a computer with Windows 3 when I was pretty young, think I had one with 95 for a while, eventually got windows ME when it came out, then XP and haven't bothered with Vista or 7 or any Macs(only used those at school). So I caught on to the whole internet thing quite early and was computer literate before XP came out.
Hmm, life before the internet...porn was a lot harder to come by, shitty glimpses of boobs on late night tv and such. Watched tv more to pass the time, played with toys, played outside, etc.
I definitely do get some pretty hardcore withdrawal without internet access, especially if I'm at home, since that's what I would normally be doing. But if I'm off camping in the woods or something I'm too busy with other stuff and don't really miss technology.
Another post reminded me of DOS games, I actually got some of the old ones I used to play a whole ago, Commander Keen and Bio Menace are some off the top of my head.