India, June 6 -- A vivid memory from the summer holidays of the '90s is of spending the long afternoons playing video games. Seated on the floor, with the ceiling fan whirring above, and remote controls in hand, we were too busy chasing high scores, teasing each other and reaching out for snacks or glasses of milkshake, to think we needed to be elsewhere!

Who needed trips to exotic places when we could escape into a make-believe world that had castles, forests and oceans with a cheerful tune playing in the background?

God save anyone who dared to move across the room, between us and the TV. A single second of the screen being blocked could mean a lost life or a missed jump. Of all the games we played, nothing could beat Super Mario. It ...