I’ve always remembered my very first hand-held gaming
device, the Original Game Boy. There were countless hours of starring down on
that device, switching in and out with different games such as Tetris, Super
Mario Land, Operation C (or Contra), Motocross Maniacs etc. Some of these games
go on to become the Retro-Classics, and others became inspirations to those that
come after.
Image source: Copyright 2014 Alexander E Smith - AlexanderESmith.com/3d
One thing I remember very clearly, is that all my games are
worded Japanese or English. As it little boy raised in Hong Kong, I barely understand
what is being displayed on the screen. However, I do recall that I was so into
the gameplay that the language became insignificant to the overall experience. Also, these early games gave me a common conversational
topic with other gamers regardless of their geographic locations.
And that’s what it should be; a well-made video game can transcend
language barriers and quite possible, cultural differences too.
Game boy celebrates its 25th birthday today.
Therefore, I’m going to take this opportunity to say Happy Birthday, and Thank
You for introducing me to the gaming world. I guess there is only one thing
left to do, go and dig out some Game Boy cartridges and revisit some of my old favorites!
