It was a night shortly before Christmas, 1989. I don’t remember how shortly, because I’ve pieced together the date from later events, that not being something a five year old really pays attention to. My dad had brought me to his friend’s house, which I remember being a small, dark apartment, but again: I wasn’t the most observant child.
oshi- what do I do now?
In fact, I only remember one thing about that night: it was the first time I held a NES controller.
We played Super Mario Bros, or at least the first two levels of it. I could run and I could jump, but combining the two was tricky and so I had to ask my dad to get past some of the Goombas for me. Even now, when I play the original 1-1, or a version of it, there’s a good chance I’ll remember my old jumping handicap.
He had brought me there because he had decided to buy me a game system for Christmas and wanted to see how I liked it first. I learned later that he had also considered the TurboGrafx 16 and, possibly, the Sega Master System. I’m glad the night went as well as it did.
December 23rd, or Christmas Eve Eve as I’d later explain it, I got my NES. It was early because that was the closest to Christmas my dad’s girlfriend, who a year later would become my stepmom, could be there to see me open it. Maybe she had helped in the decision: I didn’t know, nor did I care, because I had an NES. I suppose I should be thankful for the lack of video cameras in the room, because I don’t remember how I reacted.
GIANT ENEMY CRAB
Maybe the Atari had come first! Time is much less linear in your first half-decade, being retained now only in disparate, context-free chunks. Even so, the game I remember playing earliest? Mario Bros, that acid-induced competitive platformer. Well, that and the game I knew only as ‘cowboy shooting game’ for about a decade.
I almost wish that Mario hadn’t been my first: what an uninteresting answer to ‘what was the game that made you a gamer?’ If only it had been something more interesting, more obscure. It did set the stage for the rest of my early gaming ‘career,’ though, as unlike other turncoats the only Sega system I ever owned was the Game Gear, because it had color. Color, man. Then again, it’s fitting: I am a child of the NES era, and so why not get me started on the most iconic figure of the time?
This post was a part of Gaming Banter, the monthly video game discussion coordinated by Terry at Game Couch. If you’re interested in being part, please email him for details.
Other takes:
Aim for the Head: The Gamer I Am Today
carocat.co.uk: A Trip Down Memory Lane
Yuki-Pedia: A Tale of Two Games
gunthera1_gamer: Early Gaming Experience
The Average Gamer: What Made Me a Gamer
Sivercublogger: Uncovering Lost Treasures
Master Kitty’s World: Gaming Through the Years
Gamer Unit: What was the game that made you a gamer?
Game Couch: Karateka
Turn coat???
Yeah, Mr Sonic Is Better. You were in my camp and then you left for bluer, faster pastures. Guess who won out in the end? That’s right. I don’t see Anthony bitching about any Mario Cycle
Well, someone was bound to say Mario for this.
@Terry: I actually expected more Mario replies!
Sonic may have fallen on hard times but he will rise again…
My first game was River Raid on the Atari 2600. But the original Super Mario Bros. holds an extremely special place in my heart. Atari set the pins up, but it was Nintendo that threw the strike. Then Zelda came out and bowled a 300. /bowling analogy
I’m with you, Dan. I might not be commenting here today if not for this game.