Like many of you, I grew up playing Super Mario Bros. on my Nintendo. In 1991 I was seven-years-old, and it was time for an upgrade. I went to Toys “R” Us with two hundred Geoffrey dollars I received for Christmas the previous year. I made my very first purchase that day—a purchase I never regretted.
When I got home I tore apart the cardboard box. I inspected the sleek black finish on every inch of my new purchase. I ran my fingers over the raised lettering that read 16-BIT. I pushed the volume slider all the way up to ten. I plugged my cartridge into the slot just below the phrase HIGH DEFINITION GRAPHICS, and I flipped the power switch to ON. A synthesized chorus told me the name of the company. Amazing colors and music flowed from my TV that afternoon. I became a hero who saved my woodland friends from a mad scientist’s evil robots. The base thumped as my nemesis swung his red disco ball at me, but I was victorious. I was convinced video games would never get better than this.
Without realizing it, I had fallen in love with Sega Genesis.
…
Last Summer I packed up everything I owned and moved to a new house. After I moved all my furniture in, I started unpacking my movies and video games. Everything else was packed neatly into its own little box, but where was my Genesis? I flipped out my pocket knife and cut open every cardboard box. I systematically checked box after box. After going in circles for days looking for my beloved Sega Genesis, I had no idea where it was. Could it have gotten lost in the move? I was grief-stricken by my loss. After I finished unpacking the last box, I had to come to grips with the idea that I’d never see my original Genesis again.
Time went by, and I played lots of other consoles. I even bought myself a Gamecube, but nothing filled the void. Last night by pure chance I was rearranging the books on my bookshelf. I noticed a box had fallen behind my bookshelf. Could it be? I tore apart the cardboard box just as I had that fateful day in 1991. There, looking back at me, was my long lost Genesis. I picked it up and kissed it right on the Sega Genesis logo. I quickly connected my beloved console to the TV and I felt the same wonder I felt when I was seven.
I have been reunited with my first love.