The title of this blog post sounds exactly how you might be comprehending it. You’re probably wondering how someone could have such a profound attachment to an object. It isn’t necessarily the object that we attach ourselves to but rather the memories and good times associated with the said objects. For some it’s a teddy bear, for others maybe a blanket. What ever the objects you cling to it for the nostalgia and remember the happy times. Now you’re probably wondering what all this nostalgia crap possibly has to do with the seemingly long and somewhat confusing blog title. The answer to your question lies in my childhood, dark and confusing times that felt at times like they’d never end.

I never got people and 95% of people never got me. Kids casted me aside and most of them never took a liking to me. I felt alone during those times. During class time while the rest of the kids learnt grade level material, I was in a separate group of kids with various learning based disabilities doing really simple work on packets with unusually large font. I felt babied a lot of the time and longed for the opportunity to swim with the sharks and run with the bulls. The hospital wasn’t any better, multiple doctors for various things and I would always hear my mother repeat the same words at every appointment, “oh he’s Autistic”. I always got it mixed with “artistic” since I was a very imaginative person at the time (I still am).

It was all chaotic and nothing ever made sense but there was one thing that did understand me and it would be my ride and die buddy for for the treacherous mountain climb that was my childhood. It was the only thing that ever made sense to me through tough times, the world of video games. People who know me outside of the blog know me as an avid gamer who always has something to to say on Facebook when it comes to the subject. When the real world became too stressful the world of video games provided me the necessary escape from my troubles. Now I should note that I am in no way, shape, or form detached from reality. I know that reality has to be dealt with eventually but that escape would be crucial to coping with stress and keeping me stable through unstable times.

Now in order to play the said video games we need a console and there was one that would prove to be the pinnacle of my childhood. Nintendo fans will rage but the Sega Genesis was my first and to this day my favorite console from that era. I remember getting it as an early 7th birthday gift and instantly fell in love. My first game was The Lion King and though it was based off of a movie I watched hundreds of times it was great to escape to a world that was not my own.

As time passed, life only got more confusing, people got meaner and times got darker. Always having that world to escape to became the best part of those dark times. Even on the loneliest days I always had something to look forward to, something to take me away for a few hours, something that was always there when you needed it the most, it was tough on you at times but always with the intention of pushing you to be your best. It never underestimated you unlike most of your teachers and doctors, it never let you down and it was there for however long you needed and most importantly it always gave you a second chance no matter how badly you screwed up. Screwing up big both socially and academically would be something I would grow to know all too well. In life there were not many second chances so trial and error became the equivalent of playing a game of Russian Roulette you could never win. To be honest my SEGA understood me more than people ever would at that time.

Long into my adulthood I still play the crap out of the thing when I get the chance. Though playing it occasionally brings me back to those dark times its a reminder of the happiness I felt in such dark times. Gaming will always be that escape I need when things get stressful or I just want to unwind. I know reality awaits when I turn the console off but knowing that escape is there through any of my consoles is a great feeling.

P.S. To the Nintendo fans, I didn’t miss out on the SNES, I just jumped into the game a little later than I should.

I shall end with a pic of two of my favorite SEGA games of all time.