Nintendo: The Gift of Gaming

Real life picture of me at age 5

Hey there.  Quick!  Think back at your most fondest, earliest gaming memory!  For those in my generation (I'm 30, by the way), the answer is going to be playing Atari or Nintendo at home.  Atari may have been in homes before Nintendo and I remember playing them both, but the fondest memories come from playing Nintendo.  I remember my cousin getting his before I did and I remember sneaking over to his place to play. We lived in an apartment building and his apartment was right below mine.  We would play into the wee hours of the night.  Whether it was Super Mario Bros., Contra, Bubble Bobble (which I've introduced to the kids on the Wii) or The Legend of Kage we simply could not get enough, but my most fondest memory in my gaming history has to be when my Dad handed me my Nintendo.

When my Dad was still around, he would head over to Minnesota for a few weeks to work.  My Dad was a pretty awesome carpenter and would work in the upholstery business in the Los Angeles area but would take a job in Minnesota from time to time.  I want to say it was to work in a friend or family owned business but I am not 100% sure on that.  Anyways, my mother would take me to the airport when my Dad would fly back home.  That's when the moment happened.  I don't know if it seeing the world through a child's view or what, but I remember seeing my Dad walking towards me with that huge, black Nintendo box.  I do not remember seeing luggage, I do not remember seeing other people at the terminal, I only remember seeing my Dad, walking towards me with a brand new Nintendo in his arms.  I was ecstatic to say the least.  When he handed it to me, I could barely wrap my arms around it.  I will never forget that moment.  I remember thinking that I finally had a Nintendo of my own.  No more having to be bad and sneak out to play.  Now...  I can be bad and sneak a game or two at home!  lol

It's funny to me how my fondest gaming moment doesn't even involve me playing a game!  I remember that moment and hold it dear to my heart, not only because it was my first gaming console and helped mold me into the guy I am today, but because it came from my Dad.  As some of you know, my Dad passed on when I was 9 so there wasn't as much time spent between us that I would have liked.  But that day, that moment, helped define my path towards gaming.  I've been working with many people across many gaming platforms and I got to to thinking of the exact moment when my life took the turn towards gaming.  I wouldn't be writing about games, experiencing gaming events, or even connecting with video games as much as I do if wasn't for that moment.  And I wouldn't be loving every minute of it.  Thanks, Dad.  Later!