Playing Mario Party with my family unlocked a newfound appreciation for gaming

click to enlarge Playing Mario Party with my family unlocked a newfound appreciation for gaming
Tetris: it's fun for everyone!

It's Christmas, my first ever in Spokane, and my family has spent most of the evening locked in a heated battle. Packed into my narrow Browne's Addition living room, we're all hunched over our small Nintendo Switch controllers vying for the coveted top spot in Super Mario Party Jamboree.

The competition is brutal, but I manage to reach first place for a little while by buying three stars in one turn. Unfortunately, the star drought I face the rest of the game evens the playing field. In the end I only win after receiving one of the post-game bonus stars for my diligent coin collection.

Days later I realize it was the first time the four of us had played video games together in at least a decade. It sounds silly, but it makes me feel sad.

The more that I think about it now, so many of my childhood memories are connected to video games. As a kid in the early 2000s, when new gaming consoles seemed to come out all the time, it made sense that I'd be into video games. But I also believe my parents and even my grandparents' interest in the pastime had a large part in shaping me into the gamer — and person — I am today.

For example, some of my earliest memories of staying at my grandma's house are peppered with visions of her killing it at Tetris on her red Gameboy Advance SP. I don't remember how old I was at the time, but I was obviously old enough to form a strong connection with the game.

My attempts at mimicking her dexterous fingers and quick problem solving were not great, so memories of my own Tetris successes are practically nonexistent. In fact, the memories I do have are because I spent about three months in 2023 solely playing Tetris 99, the multiplayer version of this blocky puzzle game.

When I was older, maybe 8 or 9 years old, I remember waking up a few times after bedtime, only to find my mom still awake playing Super Mario Galaxy on the Wii. Whether she was too distracted to notice me, or generously let me stay awake with her, those moments were so cool. Each time I watched her she'd beat levels my little brain couldn't even comprehend reaching in my own pre-bedtime playthroughs.

We played the Wii together all the time, usually opting for fun party games such as those in the Mario and Sonic franchises, but I beat my dad in Tekken and Mortal Kombat from time to time, too. Sadly, those fun family moments ended around the time I began high school and started solely playing online multiplayer games that were popular in my class.

I know it's natural for a teen to distance themselves from their parents, but what I was too young to understand then is that those moments spent cramped together on the couch (often in arguments with my little sister, who always sat too close to me) would turn out to become some of my fondest memories.

Less than a week after our Mario Party Christmas beatdown and my sad realization about our hiatus, I got a call from my parents who were at the store buying their own console. I couldn't help but smile. To know that the joy and nostalgia I had — and still have — for gaming together is reciprocated by the people I love the most, is heartwarming. At least until I assert my Mario Party dominance next time we play. ♦

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Colton Rasanen

Colton Rasanen has been a staff writer at the Inlander since 2023. He mainly covers education in the Spokane-Coeur d’Alene area and also regularly contributes to the Arts & Culture section. His work has delved into the history of school namesakes, detailed the dedication of volunteers who oversee long-term care...