One of the Patrons of LadiesGamers was glad to contribute a guest article to our series Memory Museum. I present to you: Mitch aka MrCairo!
Hello fellow gamers! I wanted to take a little time to tell you my long, personal journey with handheld gaming. It is a trip into the Memory Museum of handheld game systems – some old and forgotten, others new and familiar. But first, an introduction:
I’m from the United States and born in Glendale, Arizona. I had a great childhood living between Glendale and Tucson. I was always into electronics and Legos, I know – a strange combination – but that, along with games, had a huge impact on my life and career. If you can make it to the end, I’ll share more of my background and who I am.
Early Handheld Gaming
Handheld gaming was very simple back when I was a kid and definitely not even close to what we have today. Back then, a handheld game was exactly that, A. GAME. Uno, One. If you wanted to play a different game, it meant buying new hardware – like Nintendo’s Game & Watch. People didn’t collect games, they collected handheld systems. Not the most practical, but hey, people could play on the go and didn’t need a TV to connect to. Mankind had reached the pinnacle in the world of technology! It was a great time to be alive.
When it came to gaming, I spent most of my childhood game time on these simple handheld games. Mattel’s Auto Race game was my very first. The game, like many others at the time, was simply a multi-column red LED display where you maneuvered your player (a red LED dash “-“) around other red LED dashes to try not to touch them, or not have them touch you. It was really quite hard since there were maybe 12-15 positions your player could actually be. Primitive by today’s standards. Heck, my thermostat is more sophisticated.
Anyhow, I would slowly collect different units over the years. When I went on vacation, I would bring what I could fit in my bag. Again, not the most practical but it was a good source of entertainment especially when I couldn’t go and play outside.
Of course, just like everyone else, my life marched on. I got a job, got married and started my life as an adult. Unfortunately handheld games were not part of that new life and I nearly left it behind, not because I wanted to, but because of the lack of that dreaded four letter word. TIME.
Enter Nintendo and Sega
Then, completely out of the blue, the Nintendo Game Boy and Sega Game Gear came on to the handheld gaming scene. I was completely blown away! Somehow I found the time to get back into gaming. The game systems used cartridges for games. I wouldn’t be stuck in a one game, one system world any more. Very, very nice… Mankind did have a few more tricks up it’s sleeve. It was a great time to be alive!
The Sega Game Gear was like the Game Boy but it had a backlit screen and games that were in color – Color – wow! Fantastic! Well, it was fantastic until the 6 AA batteries would need to be replaced about every 4 hours of game play. In contrast, the Nintendo Game Boy only took two AA batteries and played for what seemed like days (it was actually like 15 hours).
I loved the Game Gear and its color screen but the shorter play time and the limited game catalog (which were mostly existing Sega console game ports), made me gravitate toward Nintendo’s Game Boy. Once I went down the Nintendo route, I really never looked back.
(Full disclosure here, I do own a PSP and PS Vita but, sadly, they’re just gathering dust)
So, starting with the original Game Boy, Nintendo led me down the 20+ year path of all of their handheld game systems. From the Game Boy line, through the DS and 2/3DS family of handheld consoles and finally to the Switch!
And Now, the Present
Suffice to say, I am a dedicated Nintendo handheld game system customer. Yea, I do own a Game Cube, and Wii(U), but my main focus continues to be handheld gaming. Over the course of two decades I’ve invested more time and money into handheld gaming than regular consoles. I can play them on the train, play just for short bursts of time, and play them pretty much anywhere I go.
I’ve enjoyed the Nintendo line of handheld gaming long enough that I’m now an official collector. I have the original Nintendo Game Boy, a launch day Nintendo DS, and several special edition 3DS systems just to name a few. Not to mention a lot of games!
So, now I’m sitting here, reflecting on my journey with all the handheld gaming systems I’ve played and my Nintendo Switch within reach. Inside, I’m still that giddy little kid who loved that simple Auto Race game and that adult who will continue to love hand-held gaming systems as long as Nintendo continues to create them. It’s a great time to be alive!
Something More Personal
Ok, for those of you who read my story and made it this far… here’s a little more about me:
I’m a software developer. I became a one, honestly, to make games and also because I fell in love with programming. I’ve made a few simple games for myself but nothing serious and nothing that I would consider as complete.
I’ve never been hired to make or design a single game. Instead, I’ve been a software consultant in various industries such as medical, pharmaceutical, and public utilities, I lived all over the United States, been involved in several start up technology companies and now, 40 years later, help to develop mobile and AI software for a financial services company based in the New England area. What the late Nintendo President, Satoru Iwata, said it best: “… In my mind, I’m a game developer. But in my heart, I’m a gamer”. That’s me.
My wife and I own two Greater Swiss Mountain Dogs, (a.k.a Swissys), named Ruby and Greta. I also have three wonderful kids (actually adults now) who live in Phoenix, Arizona. When I’m not coding or playing games, I’m enjoying nature and dabbling in wildlife photography.
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