How gaming came back into my life
Nintendo did it again.
My sisters and I had a Nintendo when we were growing up and my mom threw it away. She says she was worried that we weren’t ever going to read or go outside again. One day, the Nintendo was there, we were playing Dr. Mario, and the next day… gone. Just like that. Ripped out of our young lives.
[Insert paragraph about how, a decade or so later, I fell in love and was married to a gamer for a few years. Not entirely ready to write about it yet. But when I am, watch out...it's a great post in the making. Needless to say, it soured me a bit on the whole gaming thing.]
Fast forward two decades and what’s that? Gwen Bell invites me to a party? A very exclusive and cool party thrown by Nintendo? Ummm…okay.
I had never been privy to such a gathering before and I drove down to the party with mixed emotions. The truth: I was a little skeptical because I had actually seen one of the commercials for the DS Lite. It was the one with Carrie Underwood, where she’s in her tour bus holding a real dog in her lap while petting a fake dog with her stylus on her pink DS Lite. I thought it a little weird. How could this be fun?
However, all of my doubts were gone when I stepped foot into the party.
Awesome, fun chicks…hanging out and playing games. I was in heaven. Nintendo rented a great space, provided both the food and drinks, and gave us ladies the chance to try out different games including Mario Kart, Guitar Hero and Brain Age. I even sweet-talked one of the Nintendo girls (nice job, huh?) into letting me play Super Mario Bros from her personal stash. That did it. Suddenly I was back in middle school, playing Nintendo with my sisters. Fuck yeah.
And then, if all that fun wasn’t enough, when the party was over, Nintendo gave each one of us a DS Lite of our very own. To take home. Double fuck yeah.
While the DS Lite hasn’t taken over my life, it has proven to be a fun outlet. And I’m not the only one who thinks that. Besides decreasing my brain age by 20 years, the DS Lite is a godsend in airports. The only down side I’ve encountered?
Sharing it with my boyfriend financier fiancee.
At least he knows who it belongs to. Not because of the rhinestone encrusted martini glass that graces the front of my DS Lite. Oh no…it’s because I never let him forget.
Nintendo succeeded at making me a fangirl because they wined me and dined me, making me feel like a cool kid. No matter how old you are, everyone loves getting free stuff. Their plan worked. Not only have I bought another game for my DS Lite, but I tell everyone how much I love mine. And how Nintendo did it again.
(Mom, if you’re reading this, don’t worry. I’m still reading and going outside.)
