“Oh, you’re my best friend in a world we must defend”
I genuinely believe every gamer has their own personal origin story, and most of the time I believe that shapes us into the gamers we are today. I really hope as the writer that you are reminded of your own story and where you are now. It is never too late to truly cultivate your personal experience. Because games are subjective, they can be video games, board games, card games, etc. I am not the gamer I once was, but I am happy to be where I am now and where I continue to go.
Well, that is enough introduction for now. Let us go on a journey back in time to the cold December of 1999.
Christmas was more than socks this year…
There is just something about waking up as a kid on a Christmas morning to see if you truly were naughty or, well, nice enough for your age. To my surprise, Santa/my parents had a few boxes wrapped neatly under the tree with my name on them. Traditionally my family always took turns going around the room, youngest to the oldest, dismantling this barrier between us and the item that lies within these boxes. I got to relive a moment from the 1983 film, ‘A Christmas Story’, where Ralphie and his little brother ransack through every gift the eye could see, receiving necessities to wear they did not really care for and tinker toys of a sort. Unbeknownst to Ralphie, his parents, mainly his father, took the liberty to go an extra mile that Christmas by getting him an official Red Ryder carbine action two hun-, yada yada. It is a bb gun. We heard him say the whole thing a few times in the movie. (This is my story kid, you got yours.) Anyways, back to my story. My brother and I received a bonus gift this year and was given clear instructions to tone down our path of demolition and treat this package with a little more care. Take notes FedEx, UPS, USPS, etc. I took on whatever precision skills I have learned so far from fictional characters such as Indiana Jones to not set off any unforeseen punishments or a big rolling boulder. As I began to break open this box, it was like the movies where the light is potently shining out of it. As my eyes began to adjust, side by side they set, a purple Nintendo Game Boy Color and Pokémon Special Pikachu Edition, Yellow Version. Let me tell you the excitement that overtook me has been so hard to top over my 30 years of living. Santa must have turned off his surveillance that year, because I can neither confirm nor deny if I was a good or bad 6-year-old.
Christmas has concluded, A journey is about to begin…
Up until this point, my knowledge with video games had been watching over my brother’s shoulder as he played Mario, the Legend of Zelda, Tomb Raider, Madden, and a few more I could list on platforms like the Super Nintendo, PlayStation, and Nintendo 64. Even my dad could absolutely throw down on some Super Mario. Xbox, to people’s knowledge at the time, was probably a box with an ‘X’ on it (yes, pre-Xbox days). Anyways, the situation was so easy that I believe most every kid came preprogrammed those days knowing what to do. That was, of course, to tear those bad boys open and start playing. At this time, my knowledge of Pokémon had been Saturday mornings watching the show itself along with Digimon, Dragon Ball Z, you name it. I watched Ash Ketchum on his personal journey with this electric yellow creature named Pikachu. The internet was around in those days, but not in the house we lived in, so I had to depend on either TV or word of mouth. That was about to change, because now I had the game itself, and could literally walk to the next room and electronically strap on the shoes of a Pokémon trainer and live my own journey. The Pokémon theme song started to come alive and feel so real. Back then, things were so simple. You take game and handheld platform out of boxes, you take 2 AA batteries slap them bad boys into the back… correctly, place the game card inside the slotted area, again, correctly… and turn it on. That is it. No comment on nowadays games. cough download this cough Wi-Fi this cough update this cough buy this DLC cough. (I should really get this cough checked out.) Anyways, the Pokémon Yellow game and the Gameboy was mine, it was personally mine, until days I was grounded for who-knows-what. I remember activating the on/off switch on the side of the Gameboy, hearing that chime, and seeing all the cool intro from Nintendo, Game Freak, and the cute yellow Pocket Monster named Pikachu running towards the screen. The Gameboy seated so well in my tiny hands; I could feel a skill being developed between my fingers as I began to the press buttons.
What is your name? And what is my Grandson’s name?
You only had a couple of options, New Game or Option. I assumed the Japanese had the options set to the exact speed for my age. You are immediately brought to a blank screen with this guy in a lab coat introducing himself as Professor Oak. He of course asks for your name, and oddly enough, I did not catch this as a kid, but he asks you what his Grandson’s name is. So, you could absolutely name this guy’s grandson anything, obviously keeping it PG. I am quite sure I am amongst 99% of the kids that named this boy Gary due to influences from the TV show. The game starts upstairs in your mother’s house in Pallet Town. Cannot help but do like every other game on any old system, you figure out the controls and what not. You go down to talk to your mother, she is sad knowing you are leaving on your journey and tells you that the Professor guy is waiting on me. The hunt was on, but Professor was nowhere to be found in the town or his laboratory, just a few of his associates. But there was an interesting fellow that was there that so happened to be Professor’s grandson, Gary or whatever you named him. I was extremely excited about seeing that one Poké ball sitting on the table that I knew was mine. Anyways, the hunt continued to find the Professor. Now, have in mind, this was an 8-bit system, so do not be imagining too much graphics and details, and at the time, there was only “one way” in and out this town called Pallet Town, so I go trotting towards the only exit…
Oak: “HEY! WAIT! DON’T GO OUT!
As I began to submerge into the tall grass in the only path that was available, I was immediately stopped by yours truly, Professor Oak. Electronically pacing towards me to explain how dangerous it was to go out there alone and there were wild creatures amongst us. By the time Pro. Oak finished explaining himself, sure enough, a wild Pokémon appeared. Folks, you would never believe what Pokémon appeared, it was that little yellow creature that was on the front cover of my game card’s box and probably all over Japan, it was Pikachu! A level 5 detailed Pikachu, he even made a little “Pikachu” roar through the Gameboy’s sound system too! Pro. Oak could not help himself but to show off his skill of catching Pikachu on the first try, and bam, that scene was over, and we were back at the Lab. I am sure by the time this was going on; my real mom was probably telling me to brush my teeth and go to bed. But at that time, I had become a perfect example of glue, and I was glued to that game.
My first Pokémon is Eevee! Wait, what?
So, long story shortish, that Poké ball sitting on the table was actually for me, and it was the awesome tiny furry brown creature named Eevee. Awesome, thank you Pro. Oak. Just as you go to pick up the ball with your very first Pokémon ever, you are shoved aside by yours truly, Gary or insert name here. The whole time Gary had been complaining to his Granddad aka Pro. Oak about this and that, and not having a Pokémon himself. I totally understand, but no need to go and push me out of the way and steal my Pokémon. But no worries, Pro. Oak for the save again, not leaving me empty handed. As Pro. Oak hands over the freshly caught Pikachu from the scene earlier, the light lit brightly in my heart. A Pokémon! I finally own the game and I have a pet Pokémon! I was excited to start my journey like any kiddo with the game. I began the trotting process again because now I got a Pokémon. But before I could even reach the door, you are again stopped by this unfriendly individual named Gary, and he demands to battle our Pokémon, one on one, Eevee vs. Pikachu. The heart began to race, things were getting real and tense. Sure enough, we summon our Pokémon, and the battlefield is set in the middle of Pro. Oak’s Lab. Now, you get four options: Fight, Pokémon, Items, and Run. Folks let me tell you, a 6-year-old me was not about to run, one reason is because you technically cannot, the game will not let you. Pikachu had 2 moves, Thundershock or Growl. Could you guess which one I used? Growl of course, (Ha, not!). I used what I am sure every individual used to win. I sent some high voltages out of Pikachu’s red cheeks to take down Eevee. Granted, Gary may have let Eevee use Tail Whip, but do not be fooled, that made Pikachu’s defense go down. So, when Gary would command Eevee to tackle, that would take so much more HP than your Thundershock. Anyways, you obviously want to win, you do not want Gary to hang your loss over your head. Nothing like a bully named Gary to belittle you and make you want to do better to beat him. No worries, this will not be the last of Gary, he shows up plenty of more times throughout the game and stronger each time, so you want to bring your ‘A’ game.
Thank you, Pikachu, for being a buddy that got me more buddies.
I could absolutely continue writing about my journey as a 6-year-old playing good ole Pokémon. But I will highlight a few things. I learned like many kids did, you better save your game, take that time to stop what you are doing and save for a minute or two. When your batteries would die, and they absolutely would, try to remember to replenish the batteries you “borrowed” from said TV remote and your dad will be happy. Maybe not get caught using a flashlight after bedtime to play your game under the sheets. I learned you better find something besides Pikachu to take on your first gym. Brock has no mercy with his Rock Pokémon and electricity does not really affect them, so learn elements. There would be times you could not get to a certain place because you have not been through certain things like, for example, cutting trees, surfing the waters, moving boulders, waking up a giant sleepy Pokémon with a flute, etc. Thankfully enough, Japan decided not to traumatize us more than many other things did. Your Pokémon would simply faint rather than die at an end of a losing battle. When they did faint, no worries, Nurse Joy would be there to heal them and give them rest. You would get excited when your Pokémon would evolve into it’s next form, like Charmeleon into Charizard. I believe sales went up for Pokémon cards during these years. To catch them all, you needed help from actual friends and others via trading to get that OG 151. Be absolutely prepared before you go to take on the elite four. Be sure to save right before catching one of the best out there, Mewtwo. I could keep on going, but this game was one of my all-time favorites, because it was very personal. From the TV show, to collecting Pokémon cards, to playing the games, it made me really interested in playing more Pokémon games and other games alike. By this time, Pokémon Red, Blue, Green (Japan) had already been out. Fast track to today, 2024, there are 122 known Pokémon games, 9 generations of Pokémon making up for 1,025 Pokémon total. That is unheard of. I do not play Pokémon like I used to, my last real Pokémon game was Pearl, due to life changes and what not. I still play Pokemon GO on the daily. I currently have 744 out of the 1,025 Pokémon. I still plan to catch them all one day. I still believe till this day that Pokemon Crystal was one of the best, and I am sure my buddy Jerry DeBerry would agree. Speaking of Pokemon Master, that absolutely would be my friend Jerry. I’ve got to give credit where it is due.
A friend enters the battle!
I spent a good little chunk of my childhood in a small town called Marthaville, LA. We moved back to Alabama in 2004, and I started my 6th grade year. Being the new kid is never easy, especially if you are a social butterfly like me, so making friends was my new adventure. The road was rough, but absolutely worth it, I attempted my first throw at catching a friend named Jerry DeBerry, and that attempt was a failure. If you know our story, you know. But as Ash Ketchum was determined to be Pikachu’s friend, something in me was determined to be Jerry’s friend. So, years after challenging work and sheer will, me and Jerry are still friends, and remarkably close ones at that. In the midst of those years there was another friend on the other side of Jerry that he had been close friends with since 1st grade. His name was Taylor Knowles. We knew of each other, but never got the time to really connect until sometime in 9th or 10th grade where we had the same class and there was no Jerry. So, we used that mutual thing we had in common for the good, we became really good friends, and we are still close friends to this day. One thing that we all had in common is that we have always, and still till this day, love video games. Now granted some are more invested than others, but there is something about video games that just bonded us so well through those years. And I am so thankful for God for putting video games in my life and it bringing me so close to my friends I have now. Throughout time I began to meet other people that would share their personal love for games, like Brent Duff, Sam Eldridge, Ben James, Austin Wyatt, Jacob Mayo, Will Teague, Brandon Carruth, D.J. Hester, Ethan Callantine, and many many more. I am so thankful that video games were some sort of common ground for all of us, but there was also something even deeper that connected us as well.
More than video games
Like I talked about earlier, each one of us has some sort of an origin story. But there is also something else we hold deeply, that is a testimony too. Each one of those people I mentioned absolutely love Jesus from my common knowledge and have a personal relationship with him as their Lord and Savior. To some people’s surprise, a good portion of gamers love Jesus too. That love for Jesus and the tool like games began to grow deeply in an individual I mentioned earlier named Brent. God began to move him to use video games as a tool for a ministry, and that ministry cultivated it’s name, Infinite Life Gaming in 2019. Brent began to gather other individuals like Sam and Ben to help him start this ministry in Jesus names. As this ministry started to really grow through God’s will, Brent and the other leaders recruited a lot of team mates to help form this ministry. We even held a couple of events in 2020 and it was awesome! It absolutely was a learning experience for all of us. I cannot even imagine the process the leaders went through, especially in the Covid era. But as time persisted, Infinite Life revived, held a few more events, made adjustments, and continued on. The most recent event had an abundant amount of people that we have not seen since our second event. Each one of us was touched, and we plan to continue to have events quarterly, and in between those times Brent Duff has been hosting an Infinite Life Bible Study, where we are rooted in Mark at the moment. This ministry has been a blessing, it has really brought us closer to Jesus, and even seen a few others be brought to Him. This ministry has been and continues to be rooted in prayer and laid at the feet of Jesus to continue blessing it. So, when I say in my title that I thank God for Pikachu, I hope you know what I really mean. I thank him for bringing me together with other brothers and sisters in Christ to serve the Kingdom of Heaven. I pray that this ministry continues to bless those and bring those closer to the One who loved them first. Gaming is still a big part of my life till this day. God had blessed me with a wife named Hannah Dale King, she even came to our first few events before we even started dating. Even if those games are Minecraft, Civilization V, Pokemon Go, etc., she loves games too. We even play Pokemon Go as a date from time to time.
It is not Game Over, it is a New Game
Though there had been times in my life when I thought it was ‘Game Over’, it was just a storm I was going through. God had been and continues to lead me through those tough days, and that same thing is offered to each and every one of us. If you ever feel like life is tough, do not hesitate to reach out to us, there are plenty of contacts on the website and Facebook page. We will pray with you, pray for you, talk to you, and be another friend/gamer by your side in this thing called Life. Shoot, come on by our next event to spend time with us and even play a few games. We know what the tools are and who provides those tools. You got this, keep on gaming, and keep on being blessed in Jesus’ name!
