Debian didn't have a stable release until 1996... Even Slackware didn't shape up nicely until around 98 from what I remember. SLS gave it a GUI but wasn't well maintained. Linux wasn't really "good" until early 2000s at the very least.

I just wanted to play Space Cadet Pinball or Commander Keen as a kid, not compile my programs.

You're clearly talking about modern Linux.