My parents had just picked me up from my
friend’s house that warm September night in 1989. When we got home and walked
through the door, my parents told me I should go right to my room. “Huh?” I had
thought to myseIf, “I didn't do anything bad (well...this time anyway). However
being a six year old, and exhausted from a day of playing with my friend, I
didn’t think too much about their request and headed up the staircase to my
room. When I opened the door, both of my
brothers were smiling at me, and that's when I saw it...
On the television stand was a grey box with a red light to the left hand
side of it, two square shaped controllers each connected to the grey box by
black wires, and up on that now antiquated CRT television monitor with the scan
lines running down it, was that familiar logo; Super Mario Bros. I remember
flipping out with excitement, my birthday was not for another week, which
really added to the surprise. They had all pitched in to get me a Nintendo
Entertainment System (or, as you fellow gamers affectionately call it, the NES)
and did I ever love it!
My love for video games never really faded
after that either. It might strike some of you as a bit odd, that a thirty five
year old man with a wife and two kids would still play video games, but in
fact, many adults still play video games. According to the Entertainment Software Association, 65% of
Americans play video games, and the average age of gamers is 32 for men and 34
for women. Video Gaming, though traditionally thought of as a predominantly
male centered activity, is not, in fact, a boy's club. Entertainment Software
Association reports that 46% of all gamers they surveyed were female. Put the
statistics aside though, and I think the joy of video games boils down to a
pretty simple philosophy;
I don’t think anyone, regardless of their age,
should ever outgrow having fun. Here at the Morrill Library, we have been adding
many new items to our Library of Things collection for kids, adults, and
families to unwind and have some fun.
With that mentality in mind, I knew one of the
first items I wanted to add to the ever growing “Library of Things” collection
was an NES Classic. This system is a rerelease of the
original NES, but smaller, and comes with 30 of some of the best NES games from
the 80’s and early 90’s preloaded into it. The system also supports 1080p HDMI
output, so the classics have never looked better! The little device has a great
spread of iconic games, sporting Super Mario Bros. 1, 2, and 3, The Legend of
Zelda, Punch-Out!, Techmo Bowl, and Double Dragon II. Two of my personal
favorites on the system are Megaman 2 and the gothic vampire hunting classic,
Castlevania. Though not all the games on the collection are necessarily suitable
for young children, Bubble Bobble is a great two player co-op for the kids, and
Kirby’s Adventure, one of the last games released during the NES’s original
lifespan, is great fun. Of course, all three Mario Bros. have aged gracefully
(especially 3) and are still fun for all ages.
Though the NES is, and always will be, an
incredible video game system, it’s follow up system, the Super Nintendo
Entertainment System (or SNES for short) is, to me, gaming perfection. The mid
to late 90’s were an awesome time to be a gamer, and our SNES Classic will let you relive some of the
best classics from that era, or experience some of them for the first time.
First off, it comes with Star Fox 2, which was in development and was planned
for release in 1995, but never saw the light of day. Twenty two years later, it
has been released and is included on the SNES Classic system. Fans of Role
Playing Games (RPGs), will particularly love the SNES Classic because it
features some of the greats like multiplayer action RPG Secret of Mana, the
wonderfully fun and rare Super Mario RPG, and the critically acclaimed Final
Fantasy III (6 in Japan). Finding the original cartridges for these three games
is difficult, and expensive, so the SNES classic is a bargain for these three
titles alone. Super Mario World, Mario Kart, and Kirby Superstar are great games
for kids. The SNES Classic also has two of my all time personal favorite games
ever; Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, and the flawless masterpiece, Super
Metroid.
We also own a Nintendo Switch at the library
as well! Our Children’s department has it for older kids and teens to come and
play with after school hours. It does not circulate, but kids and teens are
welcome to use the system in the library if they bring their library card. We
set it up to a TV screen so up to four players can enjoy it and we have a host
of really great games like Mario Kart 8 and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. If you
are looking for a safe place to cool down and have fun this summer, be sure to
drop by the library and ask about using the Switch at the Children’s desk.
In June, the library partnered with Impact
Norwood for a High School Finals “De-Stressing” program. We brought
the Nintendo Switch system to the High School for students to play with and
unwind before going back to finish their finals. Teens were really excited to
see the system and games, and had a blast playing them. We are always looking
for ways to reach out to the community and bring the library to YOU, so we hope
to partner with them again, and other organizations, in the near future. I’m also excited to
announce that we have just added a Nintendo Wii system for checkout to our
collection. Our Wii comes with the system, two controllers, and five games.
Here at the Morrill Library, we offer so much
more than just books. I hope you will check out some of the great gaming options
we have added to our collection. The Sega Genesis Classic system and Oculus
Quest are being released just around the corner, so stay tuned. Remember, you
are never too old to have fun!
