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[Aeana]

Started gaming as a kid around N64-era, so for me the only "paks" are rumble paks

You didn't have a memory pak?

 

[FLAguy954]

My old friends and I used to just call them 'games' or 'carts.'

 

[Dimmle]

Game Boy carts, yes, I totally did.

 

[Mik2121]

In Spain we called them "cartucho" which means cartridge.

 

[rrs]

Called them cartridges for the N64, and spread to other systems

You didn't have a memory pak?

More like memory cards, mom won't buy the official ones

 

[SoulUnison]

Does anybody actually call the DS/3DS carts "game cards?"

 

[HUELEN10]

Does anybody actually call the DS/3DS carts "game cards?"

Who doesn't? I correct people who say cart instead of card all the time.

 

[20cent]

What's with all the "tapes"? Commodore 64 thing?

I never ever heard anyone refer to NES carts as tapes.

Until now.

That's gaf, you just copy-paste the most relevant, funny or weird answer to the thread for the first 2-3 pages pretending you didn't see the 10 messages above. It has to be 1 sentence-long though, longer is too obvious. Like this:

My grandparents called them tapes, and my dad always called game levels "boards"

 

[Princess Viola]

Who doesn't? I correct people who say cart instead of card all the time.

I call them carts or cartridges.

Fuck Nintendo's stupid "official names".

 

[DonMigs85]

Even when they moved on to the DS they called them "game cards".
Thank God they didn't call the GameCube media "game disques"

 

[The Spoony Hou]

They were cassettes down here. Made no sense.

Tapes, man. Come on!

Ou fitas, em português.

I'm from Rio, though .

 

[runnin_blue]

More like audio cassette tapes and VCR tapes defining our understanding of small compact media in the 80s.

Well, I don't know about other people, but I never associated games with audio or video tapes. First time I was exposed to it was when a primary school mate invited me over to play some "games" on his Commodore 64. When he popped a "tape" in and it took 30 minutes to load, we went outside and kicked a football.

I remember thinking "this is fucking weird".

My NES never looked better after that lol.

That's gaf, you just copy-paste the most relevant, funny or weird answer to the thread for the first 2-3 pages pretending you didn't see the 10 messages above. It has to be 1 sentence-long though, longer is too obvious. Like this:

My grandparents called them tapes, and my dad always called game levels "boards"

So true lol. Ah GAF, never change

Spoiler

or please do.

 

[Ishida]

I called them "cassettes" or "casets" which is basically the name and pronunciation here in Mexico.

"Oye, me prestas tu caset de Mario Bros.?"

 

[BocoDragon]

Well, I don't know about other people, but I never associated games with audio or video tapes. First time I was exposed to it was when a primary school mate invited me over to play some "games" on his Commodore 64. When he popped a "tape" in and it took 30 minutes to load, we went outside and kicked a football.

I remember thinking "this is fucking weird".

My NES never looked better after that lol.

Commodore 64 wasn't really a "thing" in North America, so for the majority of American parents calling it a "tape", they certainly weren't thinking of C64. It's the VCR/audiocassette connection no doubt.

As an aside, I'm 31 and I've never seen a game on a tape. That is fucking wierd

 

[OverdriveOtaku]

no. They were games, carts, or cartridges.

Same for me. Never once have I met someone that called them paks.

Also PlayStation records.

Until you can remix your own DLC by spinning the disc, this is inaccurate.

 

[jooey]

I'd imagine you'd have to be at GAF-joke-character levels of devotion to Nintendo to insist on calling them "game paks"

Who doesn't? I correct people who say cart instead of card all the time.

So you DO love being irritating! Can't go back, you admitted it!

 

[entremet]

You didn't have a memory pak?

I never had one. I can't think of any big game that required them. Saves were on cart battery. I remember them being used for saving replays on wave race and Mario kart but that wasn't critical.

Do you know a game that needed them exclusively?

 

[TriAceJP]

THEY'RE NINTENDO TAPES

That's what my grandmother called them. I still find it funny.

 

[EhoaVash]

I only remember the word pak from the n64 era. Nintendo used pak in many of their games but still I isn't know anyone who called it pak lol

 

[Justinh]

I never had one. I can't think of any big game that required them. Saves were on cart battery. I remember them being used for saving replays on wave race and Mario kart but that wasn't critical.

Do you know a game that needed them exclusively?

I think sports games needed them, there were more that I had that needed a memory card but I can't remember what they are right now...

oh, apparently quite a few...

The Rundown
Games with both: 14
Games with internal: 79
Games with memory card: 189
Games with passwords only: 3
Games with no save: 17
Total: 302

I think it was the Turok games I was thinking of...

 

[entremet]

I think sports games needed them, there were more that I had that needed a memory card but I can't remember what they are right now...

Ah yes. I never messed with sports games too much. I rented a few.

 

[Randomizer]

Cartridge, carts or games.

 

[BulletBees]

Yep, cartridges. Not paks.

 

[Kamek]

Cartridge.

 

[Seraphis Cain]

Is "tapes" a southern US thing? I remember in Homestar Runner they would make references to "Sega tapes" (i.e. Genesis cartridges) and I assumed that was because the Brothers Chaps were from Georgia.

I grew up in the South and yep, people called them tapes down there. Hell, in 2004 I heard someone call DS games "tapes".

 

[Nanashrew]

I called them cartridges or just "games." The only things I ever called "pak" was the N64 rumble pak, transfer pak, and expansion pak.

 

[Aeana]

I never had one. I can't think of any big game that required them. Saves were on cart battery. I remember them being used for saving replays on wave race and Mario kart but that wasn't critical.

Do you know a game that needed them exclusively?

Mystical Ninja 64 needed one. I didn't have one so I had to beat it without turning the system off. Quest 64 also required it to save, but well... Quest 64. Aidyn Chronicles, Buck Bumble, both Castlevanias, Duke Nukem 64, Doom 64 (but it also had passwords), Snowboard Kids, Turok... I'm sure there were others.

 

[MightyHedgehog]

I've only ever heard them referred to as 'game paks' a couple of times ever, but they're 'carts' or cartridges, or even cassettes or tapes by virtually everyone else I've ever heard refer to them in speech or writing. I prefer carts, but I grew up with pre-NES consoles effectively standardizing console games as cartridges from the start.

 

[visiblemode]

Cartidges...maybe 'carts' on a really loose day, but not often.

 

[ghibli99]

cartridges or carts... never "game paks". LOL

 

[Trojita]

Cartridges.

 

[Theanine3D]

All the neighborhood kids where I lived just called them carts.

I think I remember a few calling them cassettes.

Never heard "pak" or "gamepak" at any point when I was growing up.

 

[jbueno]

We call them cassettes here in Mexico, official media referred to them as cartridges.

 

[Opinionatedfish]

I refer the game cartridges as "Game Paks" because that's what you're supposed to refer to them as in the press or in retail. I also refer to DS/3DS game cartridges as "Game Cards."


It's like when people say Play Station or Playstation. It's PlayStation.

The reason is because Game Pak has a "TM" beside it back then. Calling them cassettes or cartridges was too close to the nomenclature for failed systems and Nintendo was trying to separate their products from the Atari stigma.

I also say Nintendo Entertainment System and Super Nintendo Entertainment System.

 

[Dicer]

Carts or cards (I was a turbo kid)

 

[runnin_blue]

Commodore 64 wasn't really a "thing" in North America, so for the majority of American parents calling it a "tape", they certainly weren't thinking of C64. It's the VCR/audiocassette connection no doubt.

As an aside, I'm 31 and I've never seen a game on a tape. That is fucking wierd

Yeah, I'm in Australia. C64 was a thing here but not as big as in the UK I think. I'm 34 and the only time I saw games on tapes was at that kid's house back in about 1990 lol.

 

[utena]

You didn't have a memory pak?

We had SM64, Star Fox 64, a couple Mario Party(ies?), DK64, Pokemon Snap, never had to use one and wasn't even sure what they did until a few years later.

No N64 Ocarina for me unfortunately...played it on Gamecube for the first time after preordering Wind Waker. I'd never played a Zelda before but really liked WW's artstyle...pretty funny in hindsight thinking about what a shitstorm it was causing with the fanbase at the time.

 

[Lothar]

When I was little, they were tapes.

 

[NOLA_Gaffer]

As far as I can tell, NES games were referred to as "tapes" by parents because they were rented alongside VHS "tapes" at rental stores.

I definitely remember thinking it was a weird term, even in the late 80s and 90s.

 

[KyanMehwulfe]

just carts i think... definitely not paks

 

[milkham]

i'm sure the tape thing had something to do with the stupid insert and press down mechanism on the nes, like how VCRs worked

 

[Doctor_Thomas]

I always called them carts or cartridges but, generally, just "games". NES games.. Game Pak is a Nintendo term.

 

[Gravijah]

does anyone want to trade tapes

 

[Lupin the Third]

You didn't have a memory pak?

You mean a Controller Pak?

 

[runnin_blue]

does anyone want to trade tapes

Ok. I will trade you The Proclaimers Greatest Hits on cassette for your entire NES collection.

Don't dilly dally, this deal won't be here forever.

 

[BocoDragon]

It was mostly a marketing thing to distance themselves from any terminology from the previous crash.

No one really used it outside of Nintendo PR and employees probably.

It's clear how true this is when you realize that in Japan, Nintendo did call Famicom and Super Famicom games "cassettes".

"Game Pak" was entirely a way to dodge association with the North American game crash.

 

[RichiRamjag]

No, but I may as well called them balloons because I was always blowing air into them.

 

[SigSig]

It's a lot my friend calling levels "boards" or 1-up's "Extra Man". He's 36, but it's hilarious.

calling levels "boards" or 1-up's "Extra Man"

calling 1-up's "Extra Man"

How is nobody quoting this. I'm dying.

 

[Gravijah]

How is nobody quoting this. I'm dying.

Extra Man was (is?) really common. I'm pretty sure when I'm talking I still actually say it. I also use boards.

 

[tkscz]

We called the tapes for the longest. For a while, had no idea they were called cartridges.