Ah, yes.....Video Games. They're nothing new in today's society. Between the Atari, Nintendo Entertainment System, and whatever Sega console there was at the time, all the way to the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X in present day. The video game industry isn't exactly isn't too far from forgotten. Back in the 80s and 90s, there was a huge spike in the popularity of gaming after the release of "Super Mario Bros" for the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1983, becoming a regular on every kids birthday or Christmas list that year..... Needless to say, since then, Mario has become a worldwide staple in Nintendo, and frankly the video game industry as a whole, spawning a plethora of titles and franchises in the coming years. Now that begs one question.....
When did I find out about video games?
Well. I was exposed to it when I was probably 3 or 4 years old.... This was around the time that Nintendo released their new, shiny gaming console, The Nintendo Wii.
(Nintendo Wii)
I have a blurry memory of being at a friends house and noticing the older brother messing around on the Mii Channel. (You know, that little channel where you could make your own little avatar thingy?)
(Mii channel)
Needless to say, I wanted in on that avatar making action! So me, my friend, and her older brother went on to make our own little characters during my stay.... but....what happened afterwards?
So when I was 5 or so, I got a Disney plug and play game for Christmas and it only came with 3 playable games. (Guess variety didn't really exist in the plug and play universe) and for a while, it kept me entertained.... but then.
One time I was visiting relatives when I was 6, and me and my cousins were casually playing together when one of them turned on their Wii and wanted to play Mario Kart. Once again, I wanted to see what this exciting game was all about. As you'd expect, I was reeled in FAST! After my visit, I couldn't stop begging for my parents to get me one during the drive home.
Then about a few years later, one of my dad's friends came to us saying that they were getting rid of old video game systems to A) make room for a new baby they were expecting at the time.
and B) In order to get the brand new consoles of the time.
So the guy asked if we would be interested in having their Nintendo Wii console. And me and my dad happily obliged. So a week later, we got the console and a crap ton of games. Here's my dad with his take on the subject.
We traded some of the non-E-rated games at Second and Charles and got a few more age-appropriate time-wasters.
An early favorite was Kirby's Epic Yarn. Mariel really liked the cute yarn-world graphics and it was challenging for a two-player game. At least for we two Wii players.
Another early favorite was Chocobo's Dungeon. Story-driven with lots of levels and characters this was a winner in our family room!
But O.M.G. did I become a slave to Rabbids Go Home! The crazy cartoony characters and hit-parade of songs made this a winner for me. Luckily, Mariel's friend, Ivy, knew a lot of the tricks for the later, near-impossible levels!
Even the soul-crushing disappointment of there not being a final cut scene of the Rabbids actually going berserk on the moon didn't stop me from playing it over and over and over again.
(Of course my first love was the PC version of Plants Vs Zombies, but that's a topic for another time...)
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