I had brushes with video games when I was really little (2-5) but I didn't start till I was exactly six. On my sixth birthday to be exact, and I remember the first moments...
I sat there on the small two person sofa, and slowly drew the strange object from the unmarked cardboard box that had been it's prison. It was an oddly proportioned, green rectangle with two buttons and and a cross on it's face, just below a grey blank square.
Inspecting it carefully, I noticed it had something written on it, in bright letters that stood out on their black background, letters that seared themselves into my memory, even though at the time I could barely read them.
GAMEBOY COLOR
As odd as it is to remember now, I was confused by the thing. I had no idea what it could possibly be for. It was obviously electronic, and had a hole in the top something would fit in, but I couldn't fathom just what it was, and could never imagine how it would change my life.
I stared at my parents quizzically, but they said little that I can remember. They did, however, hand me another box, this one much smaller.
I removed the wrapping paper gingerly, and looked at the box. It was almost completely covered with a picture of a raging orange bird surrounded by flames. I had to get my mother to read the title, It said "POKeMON Gold Version". I opened the box and inside, was a golden square.
Now, it didn't take me long to figure out where I was supposed to put the square, and it was at that point I began to understand what all this was leading up to.
At this point someone realized we would need batteries to continue, so we all herded into the kitchen. My father then spent the better part of fifteen minutes trying to figure out how to get the thing going. (He was never any good with anything that might be spoken about the same sentence as the word "electricity")
After what felt like ages, he finally handed me back my new toy. I hopped over to the wicker couch we kept near the window, and switched it on.
I won't tell you too much about what happened after that, but suffice to say I've never been the same since. The course of my life changed that day, and I'll always remember it as one of the greatest moments in my life.
I read all the posts out of curiosity to see how much of a dinosaur I am. Apperently I'm not the only one...
