Many Christmas holidays ago, my family and I began a tradition of socializing over all the new games that we had, wished we had, or knew someone who had. I didn’t realize it at the time, but it was an outstanding time that has ultimately caused me to do things like create video games, and create this website. I’m clearly not the only 8-Bit Cubist around, but this is a bit of my story.

Imagine no less than ten kids in a room playing video games in 1980′s New Orleans during the Christmas holiday season. Anyone listening to the sound from cousin Eric’s room would hear a bunch of beeps and bloops mixed with passionate exclamations:
“Hey, y’all! Mookie’s coming over!”
“Tell him to bring River City Ransom!”
“He already left!”
“Noooo! I keep falling!”
“I’ll run down the street and get it from Louis! He’s on punishment anyway!”
“See if you can get his NES Max from him! I need the Turbo buttons for Track and Field!”
“That game sucks!”
“You’re stupid! Track & Field is great!”
“No, I was talking to Milton about Rygar.”
“Are we going to play Rygar?”
“It takes a really long time, we’ll play it later.”
“Where’s the instruction book for Snake Rattle and Roll?”
“Why is there turkey grease on my Ice Hockey cartridge?”
etc…

All of this type of noise upset the grown folk. They all expected us to enjoy time by putting together toy trains, shooting Nerf guns, battling GI Joe figures, and throwing new Wilson football around. That would have been all fine and dandy, but video games were on everyone’s mind collectively for the first time. We were a special generation, and we knew it was great. This is just how we got down.

But some grown folks were concerned that we were spending too much time zoned out in front of those colorful displays that were eating away at our souls. Eat a plate of ginger cookies? No problem. Play Zanac and Zelda? Oh hell no. Too much gaming would cause you to be forced to do something “constructive”. Being one of the more artistic kids in the family, I was allowed to play all day, but my cousin was once forced to go outside (in the cold) to play football. I joined him, but I wasn’t trying to cheer him up. My true goal was to discuss game strategies with him. There was much to be learned about each others’ games while we had this time together. He would have been rendered obsolete had the Internet been around, but that wasn’t a thought at the time. This was a time of discovery with friends and family.

This is the time where the family and friends discovered the joys of…
- turning a game over
- gaming the system
- finding easter eggs
- breaking time trials
- tickling your opponent at a crucial moment
- powering up
- breaking the high score
- calling a hotline to find the way through the Lost Woods
- challenging each other in king of the hill tournaments
- cheating

Overall, it was our tradition of getting together and sharing experiences and challenges has been solidified over the years, but in new and different ways. Now, we ask what music are we going to share with each other and possibly purchase legally? Who is going to figure out the tips and tricks on the newest gadget? Who is going to get caught in a Facebook scandal that goes viral within the family? Who’s trustworthy enough to share M-Rated material with? Did anyone’s relationship hit the Reset button?

Whatever the case, because of the wonderful memories I’ve had with games, I often catch myself seeing the world as a series of game scenarios as Scott Pilgrim might have. Because in the end, it’s all a game, right? We can get mad at the game, or we can enjoy it. We can get very involved, or we can just watch passively. Ultimately, we can do what we want in this world, and it’s up to us to play or not.

So as this Christmas season passes, I would like to wish all of you a wonderful holiday season. Your support has been amazing, and I look forward to many more interactions from you in the future.

Thank you,
Benjamin Johnson, aka Mr Benja.