Today is the 20th anniversary of the NES

Dean Takahashi reminded us that today is the 20th anniversary of the Nintendo Entertainment System. I bought the NES just after it came out. I remember playing Super Mario Brothers and being amazed at the "depth" of the game. I had played it in the arcade, but didn't realize it had so many hidden pathways thru the pipes and so on. SMB didn't have a save-game feature, so to beat the whole game, you had to play through in one long stretch. I think I left the NES on for a few days before I beat it.

I loved Metroid, and I even liked a funky game called Kid Icarus. The NES game that made the biggest impression on me was The Legend of Zelda. It was revolutionary for a console game because it came in a gold cartridge, with a flash-memory chip that allowed you to save the game. I had never before played an RPG type of game and I was enthralled for a month. I couldn't believe it when I thought I should be done and an entire second half of Hyrule opened up. Nintendo Power asked us to call in when we beat the game and I did so. I figured I had to be among the first, but the support rep told me that a 7-year old beat it in a week.

One thing I'll never forget: after I beat Zelda I went to Toys R Us looking for something else to play. I saw a much older man, obviously retired, asking the sales clerk if the sequel to Zelda had arrived yet. He said that he liked to play Zelda with his wife. I felt sorry for him as I knew the sequel would be a couple of years away. But that's when I knew that video gaming was starting to hit the mainstream. Games weren't just for kids anymore.

I think I'll be playing games when I am retired, too. Much to my wife's chagrin. Nuff said.