We were never the sort of kids who wanted for anything. We weren't indulged, well not exactly (well maybe exactly), because we were pretty good kids who did well in school, minded their manners, played nice with the other kids, etc.

The one thing, the one toy, that we always, always, without fail, had were video games. There is this great picture of me (it really is great) from when I was probably five or six, Atari joystick in hand, my two cousins crowded around me, in a red velvet dress, white tights, black patent-leather shoes, sitting cross-legged, playing a video game. And what makes it so funny is the look on my face. Never before have you seen a more determined little kid.

Scott says that the reason he loves that picture so much is that I still get that same look on my face whenever you get a controller in my hand.

I love video games, I love computers, I love All Things Electronic. JP, it should noted, was the one who made sure we had video games in the house. Mostly because he loved them as much as we did. The man was a Top Gun master. I've told the stories of how my father and I bonded over our shared love for gadgetry, and the summer I solved The Legend of Zelda was, no joke, an event in our family.

So it was with great happiness and no hesitation whatsoever when my friend Rachelle, over dinner a month ago, told me the nice folks at Nintendo had contacted her about having something called a "Girlfriend's Guide To Gaming" night. I'll spare you all of the details, but in a relatively shrewd marketing move, Nintendo set up this chic little gaming night in a pretty loft in the West Loop, all decorated with white candles and white flower arrangements. The gave us fancy food, drinks, candy and introduced us to the joy of the Nintendo DS. They also set up a couple of Wii stations.

By the end of the night, they gave us each a free DS Lite and a copy of Brain Game 2. How awesome is that? It was the most magical night of my life. Well, almost. But pretty close.

It looked as though I was the only woman there who didn't have to be convinced to go by her husband or boyfriend. Honestly, nothing could have kept me from that party, or that gaming console, and the only reason I actually chose the pink DS Lite is because I know there is going to eventually be a Battle Royale for it in our house and the more I can do to lessen Scott's desire to get his hands on it, the better.

Posted by Erin at 01:07 PM | filed under: Odds and ends