Don’t get me wrong, I was a very studious boy in school. But every now and then, I’d do the old ‘look over both shoulders and open up a new tab when I was supposed to be learning in computer studies class’. That old chestnut. Today, I wanted to talk about some of those browser/flash games that helped pass the time in otherwise very boring classes. Let’s consider it a eulogy of sorts. Considering in the year of our lord 2021 flash is no longer supported! A real shame considering so many browser games will now just evaporate into the all-consuming nether that is the internet. They deserve to be remembered! So without further ado, here are a few games I used to play in computer class! (Much to the disappointment of Ms. Grace).
Cyberchase: Mission Motherboard
Being a big fan of the show as a kid, I was all about this flash game. It was a ‘trade quest/scavenger hunt’ type game that let you interact with characters from the show as you gathered parts for some kind of … mechanical doohickie? I honestly can’t remember.
Every class I would get that little bit further, using process of elimination to figure out what to do. I mean the game was far too obscure for someone to have written a walkthrough guide for it, so I’ve still never finished it!
However, what I do remember, was the class where I told my friends about it, and ten minutes later looking around to find every other child now also playing the game! It probably remains the height of my popularity.
Sigh.
Garfield’s Scary Scavenger Hunt
Big fan of ginger cats. Small fan of Mondays. Thus, child Michael saw a lot of himself in Garfield, everyone’s favourite lasagne loving feline. While his surprisingly long list of video games remains a rather unimpressive one, this scavenger hunt flash game remained a go to around Halloween time.
Like Amnesia but for stupid babies, this game required Garfield to enter your classic haunted house scenario to collect items to cross of the list from his scavenger hunt, as you kept an eye on his sanity metre. Spook him too hard, and he’ll run out of the house, with his tail between his legs. Or is that exclusively a dog thing? Anyway, why this house was the only place he could obtain them from remains a mystery to me.
I also remember it looking quite nice, but I’m too frightened to go back and check in the event it now looks like garbage, thus demolishing my fond childhood memories I have of it.
Sewer Run
Ah Sewer Run, also known as Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater from Wish. This was a racing game that required you to out manoeuvre your opponents as you all rocketed down an open sewer pipe on your skateboards, doing gnarly tricks along the way. Actually, they rode those longboards with tyres on them, whatever they’re called.
It was also one of the first 3D browser-based games I had ever played, so I still look back at it with a degree of admiration. Having played this again recently, it still holds up!
Now it didn’t set my world on fire, but it provided a nice holdover way back when where I wouldn’t be able to wait until I could get home and play the big boy skateboarding games.
World Soccer
Much like Sewer Run, World Soccer was my quick fix of FIFA while away from my darling Playstation 2. It was a ‘3 on 3’ soccer simulation game, with a few countries to choose from. You could name your teammates, but the randomly generated ones always cracked me up too.
In a completely unintentional move, World Soccer implemented a gameplay gimmick that I think made the game way more fun than it had any right to be. That being, that the pitch was tiny. Meaning you could score from practically anywhere if you gave your player enough time to compose themselves. Turning what was supposed to be an attempt to emulate the simulation-based FIFA titles, into an arcade goal fest as games were also over incredibly quickly.
I think I might’ve just hyped myself back up into playing this one again…
Murder Escape
Long before the craze of IRL escape rooms, one would often get their fix of escape room goodness via graphically unimpressive flash games. No like seriously, reviewing footage of it now, the graphics are giving me actual heartburn, and I genuinely don’t know how I suffered through this. But I suppose it was better than learning Excel.
Hopelessly clicking on everything on screen in the event you might stumble upon something.
Whether it be a tile in the roof opening to reveal a key, or the side of a bedside digital clock to reveal its batteries, these brain teasers would keep me occupied for ages, as I was way too much of a silly billy to figure any of these games out.
I used to race my pals to see which one of us could finish them first, as once you knew the answers, these games could be completed within minutes. Anyway, there’s no need to divulge the results of the races here.
Anyway, that just about wraps up my list of games I used to play in computer class at school!
What did you think? Were there some games that I missed? Let me know in the comment section below! Otherwise, feel free to check out some of our other gaming blog posts here, or check out some of our other content over on our YouTube Channel.
