After my mother turned off the bedroom light, I snuggled under a warm blanket. The only thing that provided any kind of light was the light from the Game Boy.
When I turned it on and loaded up Pokémon Ruby, I was greeted by a familiar 32-bit song that accompanied each area I encountered.
I grew up as an only child, so movies and video games were the only things I could rely on for company. I miss them so much because these characters and stories made me feel less alone.
Toward the end of high school in 2014, I realized that I had a particular talent for fighting games. Specifically, Street Fighter. I still remember the first time I got that game. At first it was just for fun, but I was known to be very competitive.
As you can imagine, a 5'1'' tall girl like me felt like Zangief, a huge 7 foot Russian wrestler with huge muscles, was the character for me. Did I atone for something? perhaps.
It felt like a typical training montage. In the early days, I practiced combinations for hours on end until my thumbs literally bled, learning how to get better at them.
It's hard to say what got me into it, but there was something about the satisfaction of finally being able to achieve a seemingly impossible combination.
Several years of hard work have borne fruit. I was hooked.
But I also started to realize that it's not just the satisfaction that I love about games. I also enjoyed being part of the community.
During the 2020 pandemic, I, like everyone else, was stuck at home except for work. Amidst the stress of working in the emergency room and fear of the ongoing virus, I once again found solace in video games.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons was my saving grace. It was both a stress reliever and a way to stay connected with friends even though we couldn't meet in person.
It was like we were kids again and none of our problems mattered.
Before I knew it, more games were popping up on my radar. Games like Journey, The Last of Us, and Hyper Light Drifter quickly became my favorites. They were all beautifully animated, well written, and well structured.
That's when I realized how complex a lot of games are, other than what people think are just made for kids.
I hope everyone gives video games a chance and doesn't discount or dismiss them as childish media just because you never know what you'll find.
Whether it's Zangief or a virtual animal friend, you just might find the same comfort I found in them.
