Thanks to old-school advertising tactics, one gamer has come across a classic collection of games he gained through cereal box promotions, unearthing a variety of retro titles. For those who lived through the heyday of sugary cereals and Saturday morning cartoons, toy and game promotions found in cereal boxes were the norm of the time.
Through the years, companies and developers have found creative and unorthodox ways to promote their games and products, like the strange soda-themed hero known as Pepsiman who was created to promote a Pepsi-inspired video game. These special promotions still continue through food and drink products, but it was far more common in the 90s and early 2000s to find surprise gaming products in one's cereal box or a collector's item to accompany a fast food order. As the years go by, it is easy to forget that advertisements like these even existed, but every once in a while someone happens to unearth a nostalgic reminder of how far gaming has come in the last two decades.
A Reddit user known as MathiasThomasII shared a picture of the surprising bounty he found that contained a variety of old games he collected through buying cereal boxes. The collection of PC games contains titles like Space Invaders and Missile Command. As the years pass, it's inevitable that some gamers discover old collections when it's least expected, but it must serve as a great surprise for those lucky enough to come across some great memories.
The collection also contains various sports titles like Impossible Golf, LinksLS 1999, Ski 2004, and Beach Soccer. Comments on the Reddit post are filled with other nostalgic gamers reminiscing about some of the best games that were acquired thanks to cereal box promotions. For some, these promotions were probably many gamers' first introduction to video games in general. Although the days of the cereal box game promotion seem to be long gone, big-name titles are still promoting through food products, like Diablo 4's recent collaboration with KFC, proving that the tactic has simply just evolved over time.
Although the methods used to advertise and promote games have changed, it's still fascinating to come across old reminders of how far gaming has come in recent years. Many gamers still have a soft spot for retro games due to these older titles being many gamers' introduction to how wonderful video games can be. Whether it was through buying a physical copy of a console game or getting a free promotional disc in a cereal box, these retro titles helped bring gaming where it is today.