compassandgrace

From Scuba Diving to Bashing Polar Bears: How the Crash Bandicoot Trilogy rescued me from Boredom and Barbies 📺💗

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I was only six years old, sitting by myself on the living room floor in front of a glowing tube television. I don’t remember all the details perfectly, but I will never forget the way the room felt when the game booted up. A giant, floating wooden mask appeared on the screen, its deep voice booming through the speakers. On my own, I would clumsily navigate Crash through deep blue oceans, speed down digital roads, or try to bump opponents off a slippery sheet of ice. But when a level got too tough, or when it was time to switch gears, my dad would take over the TV. He’d swap out the modern 3D world of Crash for the retro, laser-blasting chaos of Asteroids. I didn’t know it yet, but those quiet afternoons—split between my new PlayStation adventures and my dad’s favorite arcade classic—were the exact moments I fell in love with video games.