Written By: Tarrah Sargeant
Edited By: Shania Kuo
Dear Gamer,
In a world of Xbox versus PlayStation, I’m a Nintendo gamer. I always felt like preferring Nintendo over the other two is comparable to saying I vote third party instead of the other two polarizing parties. Don’t get me wrong, I love and play on all platforms, but Nintendo has been around for generations. My preference is probably because I was born before the other consoles were created. Xbox launched in 2001; PlayStation debuted in the US in 1995; and I was released in 1992. All jokes aside, it’s the portability for me!
My loyalty began with Pokémon Yellow accompanied by the purple, semi-clear GameBoy Color for Christmas in 1998. My brother and I brought our GameBoys everywhere, especially to daycare and on the road. Playing video games in public was a great way to make new friends and to kill time. Everyone knew Pokémon, especially with the show and movies, so playing the games was popular. Back in those days, you had to actually train your Pokémon because EXP candy didn’t exist, like they do now. Before the days of wi-fi when we wanted to do multiplayer, we had to connect the Nintendo Game Link cable(s) to each device involved. Nintendo and networking go hand in hand and has always been a social brand that continues today with quarantine favorite, Animal Crossing: New Horizons.
Despite the first GameBoy releasing in 1989, not many other gaming companies made on-the-go devices. Sony responded with the PSP in 2005, and I was obsessed. I played Sims 2 and Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories everywhere and all the time. Surprisingly, their PSP versions did not disappoint, and they did more than hold me over until I could play on console or desktop. I would even play underneath my covers. It was easy to sneak a few more hours of gameplay when the big glow from the TV wasn’t giving me away. Portability was also one of the main factors in getting the Switch. It’s basically a Wii and a Wii U combined. The Wii had so many interactive games that begged you to share with friends but there were/had too many wires and controllers to tote around, and the Wii U premiered amazing games but was too big to be a handheld. The Switch is the perfect answer to both of these dilemmas and has a great range of casual to hardcore games. Technology has come a long way for portable gaming.
Playing on-the-go is a must for my busy schedule. It became hard to get my daily fix of relief gaming between a full load of classes and a job. I found myself playing hours of Minecraft or Pokémon Sword and Shield instead of doing my homework. School during this pandemic threw me for some unexpected loopholes, so I decided I would take a hiatus until I graduated this May. I tried my hardest to stay off the screens, but the itch for gaming got too bad. I gave myself a compromise by playing mobile games only. Design Home, Pokémon Go, Among Us, and Call of Duty: Mobile saved me from my crisis.
Your Fellow Gamer,
Tarrah
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