We’re almost the same age!
With fond memories of SolarStriker and Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins, today I wish the original Game Boy a very happy 25th anniversary. The little handheld that could came into this world kicking and screaming, setting a precedent for on-the-go gaming and becoming the best Pokémon Red and Blue system it ever could be. I kid. I burned that thing up, Pokémon or not.
On April 21, 1989, the original Game Boy leapt onto store shelves bundled with a copy of Tetris, and to date it’s gone on to sell 118 million units. Most of them were me purchasing additional copies of Pokémon Red and Blue to force people to trade with me since trading alone with a link cable ceased being so much fun. Or Monster Rancher Battle Card GB.
I didn’t get my Game Boy from a retail store and instead my parents nabbed mine from a pawn shop in a sweet carrying case. We were inseparable, especially with my first game having been Kirby’s Dream Land. I wouldn’t even put that sucker down to let my parents take a decent photo.
Eventually, Dad surprised me with Pokémon Yellow and a green Game Boy Pocket a few years later. Then, when my cousin bragged about his purple Game Boy Color, I knew I had to have one too. It only snowballed from there.
But there’s one thing that has never changed: the admiration for this handheld that’s stuck with me through dalliances with the Game Gear and other technological goodness. I thought the Cybiko might be my new love briefly, but I was blinded by the ability to have mobile AIM for all my RPs. I was stupid. On May 18, I will be the same age as my favorite handheld gaming system, and it’s pretty cool to say I grew up with it.
So buy yourself an entire cake and eat it, Game Boy, because we’ve had a hell of a time, you and I. What about the rest of you? What are some of your stories? Favorite games?
Join us in celebrating and let us know!
