Technology always had a big presence in my life since I was a little kid. Since then, technology has obviously come a long way. My first-ever experience with technology was when I was about 7, and I received my very own Nintendo DS for my birthday. At this point in my life, the only real engagement with technology I had was observing my mom answer her flip phone, watching TV with my brother, and maybe playing a few computer games in my dad’s office. Having my very own Nintendo was the coolest thing in the world to me. I had about two games at the time: Nintendogs (a personal favorite) and Super Mario Bros. Having the touch screen with the stylus was the best part about it. I could message other Nintendos within a 500-foot radius on the touch screen, which seemed very advanced to me. I would play my Nintendo games all day and would message my older brother and little sister on the messaging feature all the time. Over time, I accumulated so many different games like Cooking Mama, many other Nintendog games with different types of dogs, and Mario Kart. I would play it all day and recharge it very night. It became a necessity for trips and car rides. I was so obsessed with my Nintendo that I bought a huge traveling case that fit all of my fifty-plus games in it and all my 8 different colored styluses.

The Nintendo DS was the most advanced portable gaming system since the GameBoy. It had two screens: a touch screen and a viewing screen. There were multiple buttons I had to click very time I had to do an action in Super Mario Bros and each eventually became engraved in my muscle memory. I brought it anywhere and everywhere: restaurants, airports, car rides, and everything in between.

When I was younger, I really saw no problem with playing my Nintento. All my friends and siblings had them and I knew that if I did not have one, I would feel left out. That is why it was SO exciting to finally get one on my 7th birthday. I remember one time when I got in trouble and my parents took my Nintendo away from me for a short period of time, it felt like my little world was ending. While the Nintendo added to my happy little girl persona, I think there was an underlying harm that it did in the future.

Being conditioned at a young age to be so dependent on a screen for entertainment may be a reason why my screen time on iPhone is three-plus hours a day. The world is relying more and more on technology such as phones and computers to communicate with people. Going from messaging my friends on my Nintendo to communicating through pictures on Snapchat, I know I fall guilty of this too. Engineers continuously are looking for new ways to improve technology. Due to this, everyone is constantly buying the latest and greatest new gadget. It is an addiction that has developed throughout the years. People are relying more and more on technology for communication. I know that I always feel the need to check my phone and interact with people through social media. I am unconsciously looking at a screen to connect with people instead of looking up and actually connecting with them. I do not know if this is solely because of my Nintendo or not. However, my parents and I remember how much I relied on it when I was younger.