The untimely death of Adobe Flash Player in 2020 hit people differently, but I can (maybe) confidently state that Gen Z was hit with the greatest loss. Flash games were a cornerstone of our childhood, bringing hours of entertaining gameplay into our simple lives. Websites like Coolmathgames, Newgrounds, Armorgames, Kongregate, and Girlsgogames hosted a massive library of games. Didn’t quite excel at the monkey bars? There’s an entire digital playground waiting for you on those sites.
These gems were free, requiring only your boxy office computer and an internet connection. The games themselves never had cutting-edge graphics or complicated mechanics, but they really didn’t need them. Instead, they offered addictive gameplay with memorable characters, perfect for hopping on right after practicing your times tables. The “Papa’s” Cooking Games, for example, let you run your own fast-food business, flipping burgers, cooking pizzas, and figuring out just how much whipped cream you could put on a customer’s milkshake before your cursor started skipping with lag. Managing everything was surprisingly challenging, but let’s be honest, these games set us up with enough restaurant experience for a Michelin star or two. We may have been 12 years old, but nothing quite hit like getting that two cent tip after destroying someone’s order.
Then, there were games like Age of War and Happy Wheels. In Age of War, you controlled armies that evolved through time—from cavemen to super futuristic soldiers. Each level brought new weapons and upgrades, and I can distinctly remember watching my older brother play with such extreme focus. I thought he was so cool setting up catapults to fling pebbles at Neanderthals without blinking.
Happy Wheels was more of a comedic bloodbath, throwing us into obstacle courses that only the toughest could beat (if your character survived, of course). If you were a particularly evil child, you could spam the Segway Guy’s jump and his legs would just break off and a Wilhelm equivalent scream would sound from the tab. Minigames in Happy Wheels included seeing how far you could fling your infant son from the backseat of your bicycle, and surprisingly: basketball! Clearly, these games taught us how to persevere, try new strategies, and laugh at flying body parts.
Flash games also gave creators freedom to experiment with unique, thoughtful, or just plain silly storytelling, too! Great ones included Murphy’s Law and How to Raise a Dragon. Murphy’s Law let you ruin one poor guy’s day in numerous heinous ways. Every choice you made created a chain reaction that eventually would lead to total catastrophe, you’d get his tie stuck in the shredder, dump soup on his date’s head– or if you’re feeling cheeky, just explode his house. Although being a child on the internet unsupervised was joyous for all the wrong reasons, there were also games that did not include ruining someone’s day or chucking infants. How to Raise a Dragon was an adventure game that let you decide everything about a dragon’s fate. Whether you chose to be a protector or a monster, each choice was meaningful and taught us that, yes, our actions do have consequences. Other honorable Flash game mentions include The Visitor (for the really weird kids), William & Sly, Mr. Fancypants, Supermeatboy, Club Penguin, and Webkinz. I never did get that Crown of Wonder.
Popular websites were forced to adapt quickly to the shutdown by swapping to downloadable players, rewriting code, or even hosting emulators to keep these games alive, but a lot was still unfortunately lost. With Flash Player gone, many classic websites are clearly suffering and are nearly impossible to play anything on. Some websites use emulators, though compatibility is a bit hit-or-miss. Fortunately, community efforts like Flashpoint Archive aim to save thousands of Flash games, making them available to download and play offline! These archives let us experience Flash games as they once were and celebrate the epic nostalgia of an era where you didn’t need a PS5 or $3,000 PC to waddle around and meet new friends.
The death of Flash Player marked the end of a huge chapter in many of our personal gaming journeys. Many Zoomers had their first experience with video games on a single Internet Explorer tab. Flash games were our first venture into the world of online entertainment, where creativity flourished, geometry dashed, and plain old fun was always just a few clicks away. Today, we can revisit those days through emulators and archives, but nothing will quite compare to the memories! And don’t forget: You have found SLAG.
Featured image by Rinn Albright
