 Once upon a time, Daddy Gamer and Baby Gamer sat down to enjoy some quality gaming time together. In Daddy's home office there exists a beautiful glass display cabinet. Inside there is a collection of colourful Game Boys and an assortment of games. Visitors to the house either think Daddy Gamer's collection is the coolest thing ever, or a weird thing to put out on display. Normally, Baby Gamer isn't allowed to touch the big glass cabinet, which naturally means that she's always fascinated by it. But this evening, Mummy Gamer was out late, and Daddy decided that now might be a good time to indulge his daughter's curiosity. Carefully, he opened the case, and pulled out a small Game Boy pocket, as well as a copy of Pokemon Yellow. Daddy had seen this several times before, and enjoyed the opening animation with Pikachu wrapped up in balloons. But this time, Daddy thought that he'd let the little girl actually try playing the game. With some assistance, of course. Daddy would control the game and read out the text, but Baby could choose where they went and what they did. And so, Daddy turned on the machine, and invited Baby to enjoy a brand new gaming experience. Together, the pair stepped through a doorway into a Pokemon world. The first thing that greeted them was a man who asked a lot of questions. Baby Gamer thought he looked angry, but Daddy explained that no, he was just old, with a deep furrowed brow. Baby didn't know what that meant. When it came time to put in the player's name, Daddy typed in Baby Gamer's name one-handed while cuddling Baby with his other arm. This was a name that Baby Gamer recognized as she watched Daddy enter each letter slowly, one by one. This was her own little adventure. A world of dreams and adventures awaited. Her very own Pokemon legend was about to unfold. Then, the game's screen shifted, and Baby Gamer found herself staring at a tiny little person in what looked an awful lot like a bedroom. Daddy was worried that the simple graphics and the lack of colour in this game might put Baby off, that maybe this ancient technology was too old-fashioned to catch her attention. Not so. Baby Gamer was enthralled. This tiny world was hers, and even though Daddy was on the controls, she completely understood and relished the fact that she was that tiny little character. Together, Daddy and Baby walked around the town, talked with the people they met, and explored all around. They found Mummy, who told Baby that she should find Professor Oak, and so she instructed Daddy to see if they could find him. He wasn't in the lab, he wasn't in his house. Where could he be? Eventually, Daddy suggested that they try walking out into the long grass, so off they went to the most northern part of town. Just at that moment, a Pikachu burst from the grass. Baby Gamer squealed with excitement, a grin beaming across her face. Finally, Professor Oak emerged from wherever he'd been hiding, as Daddy tried to find a way of explaining the capture of a wild animal that would be appropriate for a toddler to hear. Then, it was a quick march back to the lab, where Baby was promised her first Pokemon. Baby was very eager to get a new, cute friend to join her on her adventure, but was heartbroken as a boy pushed her out of the way and took the Pokeball for himself. As much as Daddy tried to censor the story, so it seemed a little less like the boy was being mean, there was no fooling Baby. She was sad. But then, Professor Oak decided that she could have the Pokemon that he'd just caught, and that made everything better. Baby was thrilled to have her very own Pikachu, a new friend to play with and take on her journey across the land. Daddy asked if she wanted to give her Pikachu a name, and Baby decided that she would name her Pika, which seemed like a pretty good choice. Before Baby and Pika could leave though, the mean boy announced that he wanted to play. Both the boy and Baby sent out their new Pokemon, and Baby met an Eevee for the very first time. Daddy took the reins here, giving Pika quick instructions as to how to play with Eevee, so they could win quickly. As far as Baby was concerned, the two Pokemon were simply rolling around together, having fun. Soon, Eevee and Pika stopped playing, and the boy left, with his funky music blaring behind him. Now though, Pika burst from her Pokeball, eager to spend time with Baby. Baby was pleased, as she discovered that this little friend was going to follow her around. Daddy said that they should check to see what Pika was doing, and it turned out that she was having a nap. Baby saved the game, and promised that they could play more later. Baby was satisfied. She'd had a lot of fun playing the game, cuddled up on her Daddy's lap, and she was happy to have met a brand new Pokemon friend. The moral of the story is that fun is universal. Years ago, all gamers constantly endured the limitations of the Game Boy, with its small screen and lack of colour. Daddy Gamer had worried that because Baby Gamer was used to more advanced screens and games, she might not be interested in this dated piece of technology. Nothing could be further from the truth. Baby had been perfectly happy to play with older hardware, in large part because the core experience was so cute, and fun, and engaging. Good gameplay never goes out of style, and the game even remained fun for someone who couldn't read the in-game text. Perhaps that's the second message of this story. Games are fun when we play by ourselves, and handheld games are even designed for solitary experiences. But when Daddy and Baby came together to play a game, the specific title wasn't important. What mattered was that they were enjoying time together, as an experienced gamer shared something he was passionate about, with a newbie who was still learning the ropes. Good games are universal, and so is the simple joy of spending time with those we love.