The feeble first steps of Nintendo
By:Erico
 
 
     Ahh, yes. How I look back and laugh at the past. Compared to today, I was a lost boy in a new frontier. I am of course, referring to my feeble first steps of video games...the first steps into Nintendo.
    
     I remember very distinctly going to some cousin's house. The occasion was something I have long since forgot, but there, hidden in the back room...was a Nintendo. Such a foreign looking device to my young eyes, so used to watching the dancing images of Bert and Ernie, Of Big Bird and Mister Snuffleupagus. With that, my eyeglass laden cousin turned on the system, and handed me that famous gray controller. It intrigued me. Bright red buttons, what did they all do?
 
     With that I leaped into action with Super Mario Bros. I became Luigi, although at the time all I knew was that I was a guy in green running around. Or more rightly, walking. Then i learned...glory of glories..I COULD JUMP!!!
     I jumped like a crazy drunken fool, giggling my head off and wetting my Conan diaper. Then I died. There was a strange frowning critter in brown that I walked into. A goomba, a measly goomba had ended my first romp. But I did not give up. the bright colors and haunting soundtrack drew me in. My cousin left the room to grab food, but I did not care.
     Over the next hour, I learned the glories of getting big, of shrinking and not dying! Of finishing that first grueling stage, and diving into a green pipe. Of running into walking green guys that didn't disappear with a jump, but hid, then popped out to bite my tushy..or worse, smack into me when I kicked them. Then it was time to go. But I was hooked. For what seemed like an eternity, thoughts of Nintendo were all I could think of. No longer did I do the fireman's run at preschool, I ran and sang, and jumped and squashed! Then one fateful Thanksgiving weekend...my family rented a Nintendo. Joy of joys! I was reunited with a long lost friend. I played Mario like silly, even though my father spent hours hooking it up and making the deck play the games. I learned of Donkey Kong, and the splendor of pounding wooden rolling thingies with a giant hammer!
     For three days straight, that was all I did. Now I was fully addicted to this streamlined beauty. And only at the age of seven...
 
     Then, kindergarten. I was moving up in the world! And so was my gaming prowess. My ability to READ, I MEAN READ HUGE BOOKS AND MAGAZINES became such an asset. On trips to the Wal-Mart I would run to the magazine rack, and pick up that glorious issue of Nintendo Power...the very first. Sure, I may have gotten into trouble for running off, but the knowledge I gained was incredible. When I got to school, I could help my young gaming comrades with my sage words of wisdom. It got to the point where my teacher called home.
     "Your son may need to cut back on Nintendo. It's all he talks about." "Oh really? That may be hard. WE DON'T HAVE A NINTENDO" So it went, until finally, at a glorious Christmas in the year of 1990, I received my very own system.
    
     From there, my skills increased. Mario 2, Mario 3 and the other games I had I loved. I moved onto other gaming genres, such as Mega Man. I tell you, it is a great disappointment to a child when he finds out in Mega Man, you can't stomp enemied like Mario can. And so I have continued on, moving up with the N64, and still considering my options for the next system. But always tucked away for future use...is my old Nintendo.
    A friend for life.