The Setup 🎬

You’re cleaning out your old room. Maybe you’re visiting your parents. Maybe you’re just going through boxes you haven’t touched in years.

And then you find it.

Your old Game Boy. Or SNES. Or Genesis. Or whatever ancient piece of gaming history you owned.

The batteries are probably dead. It might be sticky for unknown reasons. But you hold it and suddenly you’re 8 years old again 😭

Why Does This Hit So Hard Though?? 💔

The Weight is Different (Literally and Metaphorically) 🎮

Modern controllers are all ergonomic and wireless and boring. But that chunky Game Boy? That thing had PRESENCE. You could probably use it as a weapon if needed (please don’t).

Holding it again is like meeting an old friend. Except the friend is made of plastic and hasn’t aged a day while you… well.

The Games Were Just Different ✨

Then: Limited technology forced creativity
Now: Unlimited technology breeds… microtransactions??

Hot take but I’m right: Give me a game with 4 colors and tight gameplay over a 4K cutscene simulator any day 📠

The Experience Was Pure 🌟

No updates. No patches. No DLC. No season passes. The game was DONE when they shipped it.

Either it worked or it didn’t. And somehow, they mostly worked?? Crazy concept in 2025 I know 💀

Retro Gaming Nostalgia

The Top Tier Nostalgia Moments 🎯

1. Blowing on the Cartridge 💨

Did it actually work? Probably not.
Did we all do it anyway? Absolutely.
Was it technically bad for the contacts? Yes.
Do we care? Not even a little bit.

It was RITUAL. It was TRADITION. It was us believing we could fix technology with our lungs 😤

2. The Sound of Powering On 🔊

That Nintendo jingle. The Sega “SEGAAAA.” The PlayStation startup.

These sounds are encoded into our DNA at this point. Scientists could probably use them to wake people from comas (don’t quote me on this, I’m not a scientist).

3. Playing with the Squad 👥

Four-way split screen. One TV. No online matchmaking. Just you and your friends in the same room, talking trash in real-time.

The chaos. The controller throwing. The “NO SCREEN WATCHING” accusations.

Peak gaming, honestly 🏆

4. Game Manuals Were Actually Good 📖

Remember when games came with actual MANUALS? With art? And lore? And sometimes comics???

Now you’re lucky if you get a digital PDF. The disrespect 😔

5. Finishing a Game Meant Something 🏅

No achievements. No trophies. No posting about it on social media.

You beat the game, saw the ending, and that was it. Pure satisfaction. Maybe you told your friends. Maybe you didn’t. But YOU knew 💪

The Games Living in My Heart Forever ❤️

Pokémon Red/Blue - My first RPG, my first obsession, my first “staying up past bedtime with a flashlight” moment

Super Mario World - Perfection in cartridge form

The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening - Made me cry on a Game Boy screen, would cry again

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 - Going fast was never the same after this

Donkey Kong Country - Those graphics blew my MIND in 1994

The Sad Reality Check 😢

Here’s the thing that hurts: We can play these games anytime now. Emulators exist. Re-releases exist. Many are on modern consoles.

But it’s not the same.

It’s not about the GAME. It’s about:

  • Being 10 years old with no responsibilities
  • Summer vacation feeling infinite
  • Your biggest worry being whether you could beat that one boss
  • Time feeling slower somehow
  • Everything being new and magical

You can’t emulate THAT 💔

But Actually Though… ✨

Maybe it’s okay that we can’t recreate those exact feelings. Those memories are perfect because they’re frozen in time.

The games are still great (well, most of them - looking at you, Superman 64). We can still enjoy them. We can share them with new generations.

But that specific magic? That’s ours. That’s what makes it special 🌟

The Modern Retro Gaming Scene 🎮

Plot twist: Retro gaming is HUGE right now and I’m here for it:

  • Retro Handhelds: People making Game Boy-style devices that play everything
  • CRT Collecting: Yes, people collect old TVs now, for the ~aesthetic~
  • Speedrunning: Keeping old games alive in the wildest ways
  • Romhacks: Fans making new content for 30-year-old games
  • Preservation Efforts: Actual heroes saving gaming history

Hot Takes That’ll Get Me Cancelled 🔥

  1. Game Boy Camera was ahead of its time (fight me)
  2. The red LED power indicator on the Game Boy was perfect design
  3. N64 controller actually slapped (once you figured out how to hold it)
  4. Limited save slots made games more intense
  5. Physical media > digital and it’s not even close

The Real Lesson Here 📚

Retro gaming isn’t just about nostalgia (even though yes, obviously, we’re all very nostalgic).

It’s about appreciating:

  • Limitations breeding innovation
  • Pure gameplay over graphics
  • Complete experiences over live service
  • Couch co-op over online multiplayer
  • Games that respect your time

Modern games could learn from this. Some do. Most don’t 🤷

What Now? 🤔

If you still have your old systems: KEEP THEM. Take care of them. They’re artifacts now.

If you don’t: No shame. Emulation exists for preservation. Or grab a retro handheld. Or just vibe with the memories.

The important thing is: Those games shaped us. They were our first digital worlds. Our first victories. Our first ragequits.

And they’ll always be there, exactly as we remember them (probably better, if we’re being honest - nostalgia is a powerful filter) 💚

Final Thoughts 💭

Finding that old Game Boy wasn’t just finding a toy. It was finding a time machine. A reminder of simpler days. A piece of who we used to be.

Is it dramatic to get emotional about old video games? Maybe.
Am I going to stop? Absolutely not.
Is this what getting old feels like? Probably.
Do I care? Not really.

Because at the end of the day, those chunky pixels and chiptune soundtracks gave us joy. Pure, unfiltered, uncomplicated joy.

And in 2025, that’s pretty rare 🌟

Emotional Damage Level: Critical
Chance of Buying Another Old Console: Very High
Status: Currently on eBay looking at Game Boy Colors

This post was written while listening to the Pokémon Red/Blue soundtrack and having a completely normal amount of feelings

P.S. If you have my copy of Pokémon Yellow from middle school, please return it. I miss my Pikachu 😭