That Fallout Episode 7 Gut Punch Hit Like a Critical Hit to My Childhood
Last night I watched Fallout’s seventh episode and, man, I haven’t felt that anxious since I was twelve years old trying to beat Contra without...
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How 90s JRPGs Rewired My Brain: A Love Letter to Final Fantasy and Friends
I can pinpoint the exact second my relationship with video games changed forever. Christmas morning, 1991, thirteen years old, sitting cross-legged on our living room...
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The Day Street Fighter II Ruined My Summer Vacation Budget (And Changed Everything)
Summer of ’91, I’m standing in the Pizza Ranch with my jaw on the floor, watching this high schooler pull off moves I didn’t even...
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My 30-Year Journey Through Fighting Games: From Quarter-Munching Kid to Graying Competitor
That summer of ’92 changed everything for me. I was fourteen, all elbows and acne, standing in this dingy arcade that smelled like stale cigarettes...
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Why King’s Quest Changed Everything (And Nearly Broke My Brain)
I still remember the first time I booted up King’s Quest on our family’s IBM PC clone – this beige monstrosity that took about three...
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That Time Nintendo’s “VR” Console Nearly Blinded Me – Virtual Boy Memories
Summer of ’95, and there I was working at Electronics Boutique in Woodland Mall – you know, one of those retail gigs you take because...
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How Puzzle Games from the 80s and 90s Broke My Brain (In the Best Way)
You know that moment when puzzle pieces suddenly click together and your brain goes “OH!”? That’s what I’ve been chasing for forty years now, ever...
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That Time Donkey Kong Country Made Me Question Reality (And My SNES)
November 1994. I was sixteen, had maybe twelve dollars to my name at any given time, and spent way too much of my free time...
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The Blue Bomber Beat Me Down for Three Decades (And I Kept Coming Back)
Look, I need to be honest about something right up front – the first controller I ever threw in genuine anger was because of Mega...
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Why Shigeru Miyamoto’s Games Still Hit Different After All These Years
Christmas 1982, I was five years old, and my parents surprised me with an Atari 2600. But honestly? The real magic didn’t happen until a...
