Nerdy Notes with Ned, tattoos, live streaming, and just chatting about them consistently….what’s the deal right?
Video games are clearly my thing, if you listen to me on Rock 108 enough, you’ll hear me mention video games at least once or twice…and maybe you care or you could give two s&#ts about them. Either way, that isn’t stopping me from talking about them! While a vast majority of the population still thinks of video games as ‘kids stuff,’ there is a big portion of the population that is incredibly passionate about them and continue to be…and that’s where I fall in. Many people grow out of video games, but I just never did and it keeps evolving me in different ways.
My love for video games started at a VERY young age, with the Atari 2600 and a game named ‘Circus Atari.’ Two paddle controllers, and a little guy made from squares bouncing around on a beam to blow up square balloons…I had so much fun and would laugh consistently when the square guy would crash to the ground. While I can say Atari 2600 was my first experience, it was the original Nintendo that skyrocketed my love of them into the stratosphere. Little did I know, but back in 1991 (I think?) with my father walking into the back door clutched in his arms an NES, Orange Zapper, and a small selection of games (Legend of Zelda, The Immortal, Super Mario Bros.) that would end up being a 30+ year passion.
Years would pass, games kept getting made an getting better and better and it amazed me. I would fall in and out of it here and there, but something would always bring me back. While it may sound like all I do is play video games 24 hours a day? You might be surprised that it’s pretty rare when I get to sit down and play them, maybe sometimes 2 hours a week or less. These days, I like to appreciate games more than actually play them.
Read books about them, look at game art books, listen to video game symphonies, discover how some of my favorite franchises came to be and the people who make them, and probably my favorite? Seeing what games inspire people to do.
This is one of my consistant favorites…what started as a familiar tune in Super Mario Bros. have evolved into a collaboration of fans and music…it’s amazing.
Livestreaming, musical tributes, YouTube content, and even making games inspired by games that those developers grew up on! Like a good book, stunning movie, or even a great song….it’s amazing to me what the human imagination can create for other people to explore. You play a game like Final Fantasy, Zelda, Tomb Raider, The Last of Us…and you think “How the hell did they come up with this?”
It’s inspiring.
Because of people’s imaginations, it helped me develop mentally….I know….crazy right? Games like Final Fantasy 8 taught me about love, Zelda taught me to get outside and explore, Wave Race showed me the awesome world of Jet Ski’s, Super Mario RPG taught me not to take life too seriously, playing games with friends kept me social….that’s not to say normal life experience didn’t teach me anything either, but video games sure played there part in understanding it more.
So why get a full arm sleeve tattoo dedicated to video games? Cause video games are more to me than just a plastic controller and a TV….they’re a lifestyle that keeps me smiling, and I’ve been fortunate enough to imply them professionally. Even though the tattoo has only begun, I look at the first piece of it bring me joy.
