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Starcade is an 8-bit time capsule

Miniaturized retro game systems from Nintendo, Sega, and Atari have been flying off the shelves, into the hands of 21st-century gamers and nostalgia fetishists alike. They are to the cold ubiquity of PlayStation 4 and Xbox One what comfort food is to high-end fusion cuisines.

It’s a distinction that complements the seminal, hidden ‘80s gem of “Starcade,” television’s first game show in which the players competed live on vintage arcade consoles—and all four seasons of which can now be found at ShoutFactoryTV.

The format is weirdly conventional, yet all its own. Two contestants, matched by their abilities, irrespective of age, race, or gender, are asked a trivia question about games. Whoever wins gets to pick from the five games available—from a raft of mint-condition classics—each player racking up as many points as possible in 50 seconds.

During the penultimate round there’s a Jeopardy-esque video Daily Double (Alex Trebek was initially meant to host) where contestants have to guess three out of four game screens to win a special prize before the final battle—which determines who gets to take home the grand prize (generally a kick-ass arcade console).

In a target-rich environment, it’s hard to nail down what is so charming about “Starcade.” Its of-its-time set decoration and vintage fashions (worn by smiling, fresh-faced, purposeful ‘80s kids with bowl cuts), quirky theme song, cheesy announcer voiceovers (from the often-snarky Kevin McMahan), and antiquated consolation prizes collectively give the feeling of sinking into a comfortable chair with a cup of cocoa.

At age 52, host Geoff Edwards seemed an odd fit for the demographic. An early-era broadcasting Renaissance man who moved between radio, newswriting, acting, and—ultimately—game show hosting, Edwards seemed to have an incongruous depth of knowledge about the games for such a gee-whizz, square-looking, suit-and-tie guy. He looked like he stepped straight off the set of “Let’s Make a Deal.” Edwards knew nothing about the games when he got the job, but he immersed himself, becoming a life-long gamer until his death in 2014.

But the games were the real stars. It’s incredibly satisfying to see kids blasting away on classics like Sinistar, Tron, and Star Wars, jumping barrels in Donkey Kong, and maneuvering Dirk the Daring through diabolical dangers in Dragon’s Lair, which was groundbreaking in the ‘80s.

One of the reasons the show almost didn’t get picked up was the executive’s bafflement as to why people would want to watch others play video games on television. Clearly, he was never the kid without quarters at a real arcade.