 Once upon a time, a family of gamers took an amazing adventure together. There was Mummy Gamer, who liked fighting games more than anything, Daddy Gamer, who always liked a good platformer, Granny Gamer, who had been into platformers once, but now preferred puzzle games, and Baby Gamer, who had a deep, abiding love of any game that let her play as a little pink princess. One day, a mysterious package arrived at the family's door. It had been a long day of birthday parties, carpet stores, and home renovations. The gamers all needed to blow off some steam. Daddy Gamer seemed particularly excited by the package. He'd had to work really, really hard to find this new toy, and he was eager to fire it up and share it with everyone. That said, he wasn't sure whether anyone would really like it. It was a device from a bygone era, with ancient games that felt very simple and blocky compared to the more modern experiences that the family were used to. Together, the family huddled around the new console. Daddy and Mummy were both amazed at just how tiny it was. It was so cute and small, almost smaller than its own controllers. With excitement, Daddy flipped on the switch, and the machine came to life. All at once, an enormous glowing portal burst into existence, and the family were all sucked through into a mysterious realm of pixels, bleeps, and bloops. This world was old-fashioned and archaic, but that didn't stop it from being absolutely beautiful. In fact, the whole family marveled at the pretty worlds before them, stretching endlessly in all directions. This was a pixelated playground of adventure and wonder, and in no time at all, the family spread out, each finding their own fun experience that perfectly suited their needs. Granny found her game first. Years before, during the legendary console wars, she'd been unable to play any of these titles, because her household had put their faith in a speedy blue hedgehog. Now, she could explore jungles, grab bananas, and swim in cool lagoons that had once been forbidden, and while it was infuriatingly difficult, there was something inherently satisfying about the whole experience. Mummy meanwhile felt a sense of comfortable familiarity as she slipped back into one of her favourite games, helicopter kicking her way around colourful scenery, and besting every challenger that dared to stand against her. Every carefully timed combo was second nature to her, as she felt her muscle memory kick in, transforming her into an unbeatable hero. For Daddy Gamer, the biggest draw was a new part of a world he'd visited several times before. Some of his most terrifying and exhilarating moments in gaming had come from carefully tiptoeing down corridors and caves, facing danger at every turn, with a constant sense of dread hanging over his head. Now he was wrapped up in a terrifying new adventure, beset by space aliens and scary monsters, as he explored a dark, gloomy cabin and a haunted space station. As for Baby Gamer, after getting over her initial disappointment that her favourite blue hedgehog friend wasn't anywhere to be seen, she started to look for the next best thing, a chance to dress as a pretty pink princess. She liked watching a happy green dinosaur eating lots of fruit and other things, but this wasn't quite what she was after. She also thought that Granny's monkey friends were fun, but where were all the princesses? Finally, she found what she was looking for, as she hopped into a little cart and began to race around a track. She had done this plenty of times before, in a more advanced world that even had a pink cat car, but this simpler version of the experience didn't seem to bother Baby Gamer at all. This game had a princess, and it had racing, and that was enough to make it a lot of fun. I want to be a winner! She called out as she bumped endlessly into the barrier to one side of the course. Mummy and Daddy came to help, and together they pushed Baby Gamer across the finish line. She clapped with glee as she sped forwards and immediately wanted another turn. There was still a lot to explore, and plenty of doors left unopened, but the family all agreed that this tiny little portal into an older gaming world was worth having in their home. Quite aside from anything else, it had given them all a chance to play together, have fun, and enjoy one another's company. They'd all found something that they could enjoy, and they looked forward to visiting all of the console's magical worlds in the future as they continued to enjoy this time capsule from years past. The moral of this story seems to be that just because something is old, it doesn't mean it's no longer worthwhile. There's a lot of fun to be had in travelling to far away fantasy worlds, but what makes things most enjoyable is when we get the chance to explore them together. At the end of the day, as much fun as it is to play games alone, everything becomes so much more enjoyable when we can do it as a family. The end.