I have never been a fan of Nintendo games. I have never completed a Zelda game, only played Mario Kart at parties, and have little interest in Pokemon. When people reminisce about Nintendo games from their childhood, I often find myself at a loss. Even when my partner showed me old Game Boy Advance cartridges, I couldn’t share in his excitement.
As a child, I wanted a Game Boy, but my mother believed that only boys should play games, so my brother got them instead of me. Despite my desire for game consoles, I had to make it seem like my brother and I would share them to convince her to buy them. By the time I could afford to buy my own consoles, we were already in the PS4 generation. Now, as a professional game writer, I lament the significant gap in my knowledge of Nintendo games, which I can’t fill due to time constraints.
As an adult, I don’t have much interest in Nintendo. Despite owning a Switch, I find it challenging to get excited about Nintendo’s focus on modern remasters and long-standing franchises. My lack of nostalgia means there’s little incentive for me to engage with Nintendo games, and my Switch often goes unused. Although I generally oppose constant remasters and studios sticking to established intellectual properties, I acknowledge that Nintendo’s approach does bring something new to each series, whether stylistically or mechanically.
While I may not play the Switch-exclusive releases, I appreciate Nintendo’s commitment to preserving classic games. Despite my initial disinterest, I have become more intrigued by Nintendo’s latest games. While I may be unfamiliar with popular series, I believe it’s not too late for me to start. I am open to building my own connections with these games and hope to become a Nintendo fan, despite approaching it as an adult.
I find myself drawn to the idea of becoming part of the Nintendo community and exploring games that I previously overlooked.
