Gaming

Pokemon Red.

I didn't know games could have this kind of depth until this game. This was no side-scrolling platform adventure. This was a journey, and I was a kid, and I had no idea what to expect until I played it.

Not sure I'd have the patience to replay it now, but I never tire of replaying the memories in my head.

Choosing my starter---always Charmander, always in my lineup---and the slow, joyful payoff of leveling him up and evolving him into Charmeleon and then the mighty Charizard.

The different cities. The system of woods and fields and caves between them. The thrill of catching some new Pokémon I hadn't seen yet.

The music.

The satisfaction of grinding through trainer after trainer, wild Pokémon after wild Pokémon, until finally breaking through to the next town or city, the next gym or mystery, the next set of people with weird and silly and strange things to say.

The sheer anticipation every single time I threw a Pokéball, watching it quiver there in the dirt, hoping to hear the chime of the thing locking in whatever rare Pokémon I was walking up and down through the tall grass to find.

The heart-pounding excitement of encountering the legendary birds.

Beating the elite four. Gary. Mewtwo. Team Rocket. All with an awesome endgame lineup that always involved Charizard, Gengar, Gyarados, and Alakazam.

And, of course, the time and age. Childhood. Summer. No responsibilities. Sitting in the family room recliner, both my parents still living, watching TV, smiling at me from time to time as I squirm with excitement over something.

I'll never forget it, man.