FriendBound: How Earthbound has Impacted My Friends and Me
I recall a day in the summer of 1995 when I visited the local video rental shop with my mother and brother. I was browsing the selection of video games when I came across something unusual. Before me lay a box much larger than that of any of the other game in the aisle. I picked up the box to closely examine it. The name of the game was Earthbound. The screenshots on the back of the box intrigued me. I had never seen a game like it before. I hadn’t played many role-playing games at that age. I remember vaguely battling crows in a Dragon Warrior title on the NES and hitting enemies with a yo-yo in StarTropics; memories soon to be rekindled.
I did not rent it that trip, but on a subsequent outing I convinced my mother to rent the game for me. The moment I returned home, I rushed up the stairs and placed the cartridge into my Super Nintendo Entertainment System. I did not turn the console off until many hours later; sometime after midnight. I just could not stop playing the game. It was like nothing I had ever played before. It was so engrossing and enjoyable that I just had to get the most out of the three day rental. And so for the next day and a half I played to my heart’s content.
I partook in a search for a missing neighbor’s brother which resulted in my immediate involvement in a journey to save the world! Sure, saving the world is somewhat of a cliché in video games, but never has it been implemented with such originality. The humanity of the characters in the game truly made it like no other. I soon fought off a gang that caused nothing but trouble in my hometown and fought a menacing insect at a local landmark where the true sense of adventure in the game began.
From there on out it only kept getting better. I got as far as rescuing a girl from a blue-obsessed cult when the game had to be returned. It would be some time until I would be able to play the game once more. I did not share the news of the game with anyone else at that time, but I would soon introduce someone else to the game I loved to play.
Several years later, I befriended a fellow video gamer at school when I moved to a new state. He had a great selection of Super Nintendo games that I hadn’t played before and we started talking about some of our favorite games. It was then that I remembered the role-playing game that I had enjoyed so long ago. I told him about what an amazing game it was and he too became interested in the game.
A few weeks later, his parents took him to Best Buy to pick out a birthday present for himself. The next time I saw him, he told me that he had found Earthbound there. It was being sold, brand new, for a mere seven dollars! That got my attention. I was set on getting the game with its glorious box and player’s guide. But, alas, on my next trip to Best Buy, they were out of stock. I missed a great opportunity to pick up the game at a price I could easily afford, even at my age.
Even though I did not find a personal copy of the game, I helped him play with his. With the player’s guide in hand, we zipped through the game within the next week. He enjoyed the game as much as I had the first time I played. I was happy to share my enjoyment of the game with him. But the joy didn’t last more than a handful of months. I got word from him that he would be moving to Italy. A few weeks later, he was an ocean away, and so was the only copy of Earthbound within my means.
The next holiday season, however, I had saved up enough money, thirty dollars, to order a used copy of the game from the online retailer BREGames.com. The game came in the mail with a plastic box that had hints for the game written on it. I was happy to finally have a copy of the game of my own to enjoy.
A few months later I discovered the Nintendo.com store and found out that they offered Player’s Guides for numerous games there. I was delighted to find the Earthbound Player’s Guide available for eleven dollars. I ordered a copy and became ecstatic when it arrived. I was one step closer to a complete set of the original contents of the game. It was around the beginning of my eight school year and I decided to bring the Player’s Guide to read on the first day since there is usually not much to do a. During English, a kid next to me commented on the book. He had played Earthbound before and also enjoyed it. It was exciting to meet someone who was acquainted with the game. We soon became good friends.
Throughout the years Earthbound has had an impact on many of the relationships I have had with people. I have introduced many people to the game and met many others who already had a love for it. It is just one of the few, but great games that no one can keep to themselves.
I recall a day in the summer of 1995 when I visited the local video rental shop with my mother and brother. I was browsing the selection of video games when I came across something unusual. Before me lay a box much larger than that of any of the other game in the aisle. I picked up the box to closely examine it. The name of the game was Earthbound. The screenshots on the back of the box intrigued me. I had never seen a game like it before. I hadn’t played many role-playing games at that age. I remember vaguely battling crows in a Dragon Warrior title on the NES and hitting enemies with a yo-yo in StarTropics; memories soon to be rekindled.
I did not rent it that trip, but on a subsequent outing I convinced my mother to rent the game for me. The moment I returned home, I rushed up the stairs and placed the cartridge into my Super Nintendo Entertainment System. I did not turn the console off until many hours later; sometime after midnight. I just could not stop playing the game. It was like nothing I had ever played before. It was so engrossing and enjoyable that I just had to get the most out of the three day rental. And so for the next day and a half I played to my heart’s content.
I partook in a search for a missing neighbor’s brother which resulted in my immediate involvement in a journey to save the world! Sure, saving the world is somewhat of a cliché in video games, but never has it been implemented with such originality. The humanity of the characters in the game truly made it like no other. I soon fought off a gang that caused nothing but trouble in my hometown and fought a menacing insect at a local landmark where the true sense of adventure in the game began.
From there on out it only kept getting better. I got as far as rescuing a girl from a blue-obsessed cult when the game had to be returned. It would be some time until I would be able to play the game once more. I did not share the news of the game with anyone else at that time, but I would soon introduce someone else to the game I loved to play.
Several years later, I befriended a fellow video gamer at school when I moved to a new state. He had a great selection of Super Nintendo games that I hadn’t played before and we started talking about some of our favorite games. It was then that I remembered the role-playing game that I had enjoyed so long ago. I told him about what an amazing game it was and he too became interested in the game.
A few weeks later, his parents took him to Best Buy to pick out a birthday present for himself. The next time I saw him, he told me that he had found Earthbound there. It was being sold, brand new, for a mere seven dollars! That got my attention. I was set on getting the game with its glorious box and player’s guide. But, alas, on my next trip to Best Buy, they were out of stock. I missed a great opportunity to pick up the game at a price I could easily afford, even at my age.
Even though I did not find a personal copy of the game, I helped him play with his. With the player’s guide in hand, we zipped through the game within the next week. He enjoyed the game as much as I had the first time I played. I was happy to share my enjoyment of the game with him. But the joy didn’t last more than a handful of months. I got word from him that he would be moving to Italy. A few weeks later, he was an ocean away, and so was the only copy of Earthbound within my means.
The next holiday season, however, I had saved up enough money, thirty dollars, to order a used copy of the game from the online retailer BREGames.com. The game came in the mail with a plastic box that had hints for the game written on it. I was happy to finally have a copy of the game of my own to enjoy.
A few months later I discovered the Nintendo.com store and found out that they offered Player’s Guides for numerous games there. I was delighted to find the Earthbound Player’s Guide available for eleven dollars. I ordered a copy and became ecstatic when it arrived. I was one step closer to a complete set of the original contents of the game. It was around the beginning of my eight school year and I decided to bring the Player’s Guide to read on the first day since there is usually not much to do a. During English, a kid next to me commented on the book. He had played Earthbound before and also enjoyed it. It was exciting to meet someone who was acquainted with the game. We soon became good friends.
Throughout the years Earthbound has had an impact on many of the relationships I have had with people. I have introduced many people to the game and met many others who already had a love for it. It is just one of the few, but great games that no one can keep to themselves.
