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Opinion posted by
Williams Pelegrin
My life has had some ups and downs, especially when I was a kid. Because my parents could not afford much when they immigrated here, we lived in very fragmented and unsafe New York neighborhoods. We received government benefits that relieved my father a bit, who paid for food on our table while shopping in supermarkets. We had no parents to rely on to ask for help.
Things were difficult at first, but they improved once my parents found their place. As a result, they were not ashamed to spoil me and my brother. My parents did their best to give us what we wanted. They did not see this as spoiling though – my parents came almost from nothing and wanted to offer a better and more comfortable life for me and my brother.
Of all this I ended up spoiling my love for video games, starting with the Game Boy Color. From the bathroom of my elementary school to the mall, I took this thing wherever I went. I did not want to miss my chance to catch Suicune in Pokémon Crystal, to complete The Legend of Zelda: The Oracle of the Ages, to get as many bananas as possible in Donkey Country.
I did not know that video games had become the reason why I am now sitting at the living room table and I write this piece you read on this site. Curiously, I have to thank the original Game Boy for all this.
Let me explain.
More than a hobby
As I switched from Game Boy Color to Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, Nintendo 3DS to all Nintendo and Microsoft home consoles, my love of video games was growing. At the age of 7, I was not just playing video games. I was reading Electronic Gaming Monthly articles, I was shooting Newgrounds video game based flash movies, I was watching movies based on video games.
Video games were more simply something I liked to play. They helped me deal with my parents' incessant arguments and the bullying problems I encountered at school. They helped me communicate with other children with whom I still speak today. They even helped me ward off some of my suicidal thoughts later in my life.
Video games have become part of my identity and I was quite for that.
It was not until I arrived at university that I decided to channel my passion for video games to something more productive. I was jealous of anyone who wrote press articles, reviews and articles about video games. I really liked that they write about video games and get paid for it, but I was frustrated not to know how to do the same.
I thought that a good place to start was with my own blog, which had me excessively excited. "Maybe if I wrote enough articles, I could eventually apply to work at IGN, GameSpot, 1UP.com or GameSpy. I could even apply for EGM, my favorite video game magazine, "I said to myself.
Video games have become part of my identity.
It turns out that things were far from being so simple and that I needed to do more. I decided to write for very small websites, even though I was not paid for my work. I agreed with that, however – writing for so many websites helped me refine my writing, improve my teamwork skills and understand what it's all about. it means to behave in a professional manner.
I've even experienced personal growth when writing about video games. I wanted to stand out from the dozen other writers who also wrote for free, so I learned to be resourceful. I've set up interviews with independent developers, I've come up with feature ideas and capitalized on those ideas, I've done research before diving into an article. The skills I've learned have helped me out of the world and beat me – things would not just be as good as they were when I was younger.
All the work I have done for years has finally paid off in the strangest possible way. While browsing Craigslist for paid writing positions, I noticed that Digital trends had an open writer position. Better still, it was a full time position with benefits. Imagine the shock and fear on my face when I saw this Craigslist announcement at 10:30 pm on the Wednesday night of late January.
I applied for the job and, surprisingly, I got an answer that night. I would like to give a try at the New York City office.
I cried when I got this answer. I've been working hard for years, writing about video games without getting paid a dime. Even though it rained, it was in 2014. I graduated from college less than a year ago and I felt the increasing pressure to get a paid job. An opportunity to get paid for what I love is something I only dreamed about when I started this trip four years ago.
The writing that I made to Digital trends It was good video games, but also smartphones, tablets, smartwatches, televisions, cars, etc. I was scared because I had never written anything other than video games, nor even thought about it.
And yet, I found myself excelling. I've applied the same skills that I've acquired over the years and, to my surprise, I've become a better writer. Who knew that writing on video games would turn into a writing on mobile technologies.
After three years, I wanted to capitalize on this new motivation to write about mobile technologies. I applied for a position with Android Authority in 2017 and successfully landed not only a race test, but a position with this site. I may not be writing about video games, but I have developed a new love for everything that is mobile and I have not looked back.
Looking back
I felt bad about not owning a Game Boy. After all, I owned all other Nintendo portable systems, unlike the Game Boy Micro. Why not get closer to the end of the collection by buying a Game Boy? It's not like it's so expensive anymore.
So I did it. I visited the local video game store – an activity increasingly rare nowadays that could cost GameStop its place in the world – and I bought an original Game Boy a week ago . I even took a second Game Boy, which was modded with a screen lit by the front.
In taking the Game Boy for the first time, I did not understand its appeal. Even if the Game Boy did not weigh like a brick, it was as if it were in the hands. What matters are the four batteries needed to power the thing. Let's not forget the contrast wheel on the left that was used to make the picture as clear as possible.
Then I played games on the Game Boy and my perception changed completely.
The buttons, which are almost 30 years old, still work perfectly. The Game Boy herself is better suited to my big hands than I thought, with a surprisingly comfortable game experience. It's always a little boring to play with the contrast wheel, but the screen with the front lighting allows you to play the Game Boy in low light scenarios.
More importantly, I had fun with the games I picked up. From Super Mario Land and NBA Jam to the original Tetris and The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening, I've spent hours playing some of the best games in the Game Boy and enjoying every minute.
And then, for a split second, I felt transported into the dining room of this elementary school, then on my home computer when I started my blog, and then the Digital trends office the first day of my work, and finally the sofa on which I sat while I finished this room.
The Game Boy has helped shape my future.
It seems almost ridiculous to attribute such a trip to an electronic device covered with plastic, but that makes sense. The Game Boy Color is what made the Game Boy Color possible, which sparked my passion for video games, which led me to write Android Authority.
The Game Boy has also shaped me as a person. I've learned to create and maintain relationships with others, to take risks and to venture into the world, to find ways to sort out some problems that I might be in the process of live and have fun simply.
Thus, on the occasion of the thirtieth anniversary of the Game Boy, I thank the brick of a portable system that has indirectly and directly shaped me to become the person I am today. The Game Boy is not just an inanimate object – it has helped shape my future, even if I had never owned it before.
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