Hooked to the Screen

Last weekend, I re-discovered the wonder of video games.  Even with all that new technology out there, what made me hooked to the screen was Nintendo 64.  I’d been mourning the loss of my N-64 for years now(it was killed in an unfortunate incident involving a heavy foot and a snapped cable), but after a quick Dunkin’ run in a van filled with way too many people, a mass decision was made to get ahold of one of those ’90s masterpieces.  With the machine and four funny-looking controllers in tow, we were ready for some nostalgia.

For a while, I happily observed seventeen year old boys enjoying technology that seems almost ancient in comparison with the graphics-filled XBox or WII.  I thought about how truly amusing it is to see that even with all this new stuff, what entertained us this weekend is something from our childhoods.  To me, it’s the simplicity.  You move with the joystick.  You press A or B.  After my N-64 died, I never moved on to bigger and better things.  I’m clearly not a “gamer”, having never owned anything other than the N-64 or my Dad’s ancient original Nintendo.  The only person I can beat is my little sister.  And yet I indulged in this blast-from-the-past for hours on a Saturday night. 

I’m not a competitive person, but I got so fired up during a game of Mario Party I kicked a friend in a place that is both inappopriate and apparently, really painful.  After the red faded from my vision I apologized over 100 times, but I don’t know if I was actually sorry.  This friend sabatoged my character Yoshi and I’s chance at being the “Super-Star” of the game.  Mario Party is just about the only game I can I actually play with an ounce of success, and going from 1st place to 4th place is enough to release a competitiveness in me that 10 years of sports have never been able to do. 

The re-discovery of N-64 has come with the promises of many tournaments in the future.  It looks like every once and a while, the new games will be what’s forgotten.