Sometimes it’s easy to forget that what is old and mundane to many of us is new and exciting to children. In fact just the other day, the kids went wild when I rolled down the windows while driving in the car. I can’t remember the last time I got excited over wind blowing in my face, but the kids loved it. Mason once told me his favorite thing about my truck was “the time I rode in the back of it.”
I was twelve years old back in 1985 when the original Super Mario Bros. came out for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). 1985 wasn’t so long ago, it seems. Although I didn’t own an NES for several years after its release, two of my neighbors (Doug Deckard and Jason Lee) did, and it was there I got my first taste of Mario, the little red-suited plumber that could. I spent hours at both of their homes, learning the game inside and out. A few years later when Super Mario Bros. 3 came out, Jeff, Andy and I would spend hours upon hours at Jeff’s house, racking up extra men and playing weekend-long gaming sessions trying to beat the game.
Back to the kids for a moment; one of the things that really excites them is the projector I have upstairs. Whether it’s watching movies or playing games, the kids really don’t care what’s on as long as it’s on the giant screen. Last night while Mommy and Mason were out and Morgan became inconsolable, I put Shrek III on upstairs and her eyes lit up. “Shrek’s biiiiiiiig,” she said, her tears instantly drying.
Recently, Mason’s discovered that all my gaming systems are hooked to the projector as well. A while back I picked up one of those Yobo NES clones. I’ve heard mixed reviews as to their compatibility and quality, so I decided to hook it up over the weekend and test some games out. The minute Mason heard the sound of videogames echoing from the upstairs game room, he weaseled his way up there into the middle of everything. One of the first games I tested was Super Mario Bros. 3. Mason’s been playing the original Super Mario Bros. since he was around two, but for some reason I guess he’s never played #3. Like a true gamer, he picked up the game in no time.
So far, Mason’s spent the better half of the weekend learning the ins and outs of Super Mario Bros. 3. And while I still enjoy the game in small doses, I have to remember that what I’ve been playing for twenty years now is all new to him. Every brick that explodes, every new enemy, every new treasure that’s discovered lights up his eyes. “Dad, look at this!” he exclaims every time he finds a new hidden room. His joy reminds me of the joy I used to get from playing games, a joy that got lost somewhere in the battle for faster processors and better graphics.
Enjoy it while it lasts, kid.
It will not be long and both you and I will have the monthly ploy from our sons of “but dad my computer needs more X to run this new game. Everyones playing it” (little do they know I still remember what this means……everyone wishes they could play this games that only a few have the equipment for). Although it has been along time I still remember the liters of pop and the long hours devoted to seeing the next boss. So I am sure we will both have a charge account at Best Buy or Tiger Direct or more likely both.
That’s why I’m trying to get the boy hooked on retrogaming early. His PC will run old DOS games just fine! I’m hoping by the time he starts requesting video card and RAM upgrades, he’ll have a job.