While I did not get my first console, a PlayStation 2 until I was in late elementary school, I was exposed to other consoles by relatives. The first console that I have a vague recollection of was the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) that one of my cousins owned. I did not know it at the time, but my relatives were playing classical games that were or would become staple series in the Nintendo franchise such as Zelda II, Super Mario Bros, and Mega Man 2.

The NES embodies to me what makes the console a distinct way of gaming. Controllers allow players to play games with both hands in a way keyboards are unable to provide. With an additional controller, it is possible to play a two player game with your friends or family. The console is connected to the television via wires such as an RCA connector or more modern HDMI. Cartridges or CDs are inserted into the console to start the game (This is no longer always the case since games can be downloaded). The close connection between consoles and TVs help cement the different social aspects of computer and console gaming. For me, computer gaming was usually done alone in a private room. Console gaming was usually done with the main TV in the living room.

Connecting the console to the living room TV often meant that I had to fight with relatives for control of the TV. This determent acted like a natural time limit for gaming since I could only play so long before my father/grandmother would get impatient and ask me to turn off the console. At the time I was always disappointed when forced to shut off the console, but looking back on it I see that it was a good limiter that prevented me from going on 4+ hour binges. The situation changed, however, when we bought a second flat screen for the basement. I ended up becoming an even worse gaming binger since I could now sit and play for almost 7+ hours uninterrupted.

Gateway to Console Gaming – Relative Influence

My first experiences with consoles came from watching other relatives pay with their consoles. Cousins older than me were playing with their NES. The NES game that I remembered they played the most was Mega Man 2. The game was unique in how it was formatted with different stages that could be selected in any order the player desired. At the end of each stage was a boss that when defeated granted the player a special ability. I was fascinated by a game that gave me the special ability of my enemies. My interest in copying different abilities would later lead me to play other games in the Megaman and Kirby series.

Cousins the same age as me were playing with their Nintendo 64. Both the NES and the Nintendo 64 had clunky cartridges. When the games failed to load or glitched on start up the common trick was to take out the cartridge and blow on the inner side. Rinse and repeat the process enough and the game would eventually start. The first game that my cousin played enough to receive this repeated treatment was Hey you, Pikachu! The game was unique for using a microphone for voice interactions with our favorite main character pokémon, Pikachu. This game along with Pokémon Yellow would solidify my love for the pokémon series.