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The Gamer Who Came in From the Cold pt. 2
For me, it all started with the Super Nintendo.
Felix Quiñonez Jr.
16-Bit Magic
My cousin Fernando had an NES, but I didn’t spend much time on it. For me, it all started with the Super Nintendo, that beautiful gray machine that so many of us loved. Like most people, the first game I played on the Super Nintendo was Super Mario World. To this day, it’s my favorite Mario game and one of my favorites of all time.
Super Mario World became an obsession in our house. Like many other kids of that time, my siblings and I played it every chance we got. Often, this would mean staying up as late as we were allowed to. We had to beat every level, find every secret, and eventually, we did. It was a magical game and a magical time. Once we completed the game, we simply moved on to other ones. It seemed like there was never a shortage of options.
Street Fighter 2 was another one of our favorites. We were so competitive that one particularly intense session brought my cousin to tears. It was a dog eat dog world. I also remember feeling a vague tinge of attraction towards Chun Li. So, all in all, it was an important game for all of us.
Our parents were by no means wealthy, so when they bought us a game, it had to be one we all wanted. My siblings picked…