The Gray Box that Changed My Life: The NES
The first time I ever played the NES: The Nintendo Entertainment System
In the fall of 1988 when I was 7 years old in the 2nd grade, my parents took me to my aunt and Uncle’s house for a family gathering. I went into my cousins Mike and Sean’s room and saw a whole bunch of other kids gathered around a particular gray box all sitting on the floor in awe, staring at the TV screen in the cramped room.
And that’s where I saw it. The gray box that would forever change my life:
The Nintendo Entertainment System.
I had always seen the commercials on TV and heard about it in school, but never got to play the fabled machine.
Growing up with television and movies, I was used to sitting down and just absorbing the entertainment shown to me on screen. However, video games were such a different and new medium at the time because you actually had the power to control what was happening on screen instead of just being idle and watching. I was too late for the Atari generation and by 1988, the NES was literally dominating everything in it’s path. I didn’t even know that Atari existed until the older kids at school said “We played the Atari before the NES.”
Mike and Sean had borrowed around 40 or so games from their friends, so on that night, we played everything from Super Mario Bros, Zelda, Mega Man, Mike Tyson’s Punch Out, Ninja Kid, Kung Fu, and more. I distinctly remember playing Mega Man and choosing Elec Man as my first robot master, but couldn’t get through the stage. I also remember losing to Von Kaiser in Mike Tyson’s Punch Out and getting lost in Ninja Kid.
After we left my aunt and uncle’s house, I told my parents that I wanted one and later that year on the Christmas of 1988, I saw a huge box under the Christmas tree and I already knew what it was.
I unwrapped the large box to reveal that my parents got me the Nintendo Entertainment System Action Set with 2 controllers, the zapper, and the dual Super Mario Bros/Duck Hunt cartridge.
Unfortunately on that Christmas Day, my mom had an important client to meet as she was running her bridal shop from our house far before remote work was ever a thing and before she got a brick and mortar location. Christmas Day was the only time that the client would meet and my mom made sure to accommodate them even if it meant taking some time away on Christmas Day. My dad took me and my sister upstairs to wait for my mom to be done conducting business with her client before we could resume opening the rest of our presents.
Once the client was gone, my dad helped me hook up the NES to our television and I played Super Mario Bros/Duck Hunt for a few hours. I was in absolute awe that I finally was able to play the fabled NES from the comfort of my own home and since 1988, I had become a lifelong fan of Nintendo, Mario, Zelda, Mega Man, and many popular video game franchises.
Over the years, I would constantly keep up with the newest consoles, games, and the evolution of gaming as a whole. Through the NES, I was able to play alot of great games, make amazing memories and friends, and also learn about technology which has helped me find employment in various industries.
To say that the NES changed my life is an understatement. I don’t think I would be the person I am today without it and am forever grateful since 1988:
I was playing with power!