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Those Were the Days is a weekly article in which Gamervision employees share video game-related memories. If you’ve got a story of your own to share, please do so! We love hearing from the community.

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I remember the Christmas of my eleventh year very well.  It was 1987, the year of Pogo Balls, California Raisins, and my favorite GI Joe figure of all time, Tunnel Rat.  Sure, there were Thundercats figures out, along with Silverhawks, TMNT and even the tail end of the He-Man series, but other than GI Joe figures, the only thing I cared about was getting my hands on a little gold game cartridge.  This was the year of Zelda.  In America, anyway; the game was released almost a year and a half earlier in Japan, but on this side of the Pacific, the game didn't arrive until August of 1987, and it didn't arrive in my house until December.  That morning was one of pure childlike happiness.  In addition to Zelda, I got a few more NES games, a bunch of GI Joes, some other assorted toys, and a remote controlled skateboarder.  As nice as these other presents were, the only gift that really mattered was Zelda.

As soon as the day's yuletide festivities were complete, I went downstairs as fast as I could to pop in my new obsession and spend the rest of my Christmas vacation killing Octoroks, Like Likes and Darknuts.  I played the game for about 6 hours that day, mostly by myself, but for a while, I entertained my dad as he sat and watched me play, asking questions the whole time.  Dad wasn't much of a gamer, so seeing him take an interest in the game was a surprise, but certainly a welcome one.  Eventually, things like dinner and contact with other humans kept me from spending every single second of late January in front of the TV, so my day on play time was cut short.  At around 10:30, it was time to go to bed, and so I did.  As I lay in bed, way too exited by the day's bounty of toys and games to actually get to sleep, I wondered how late I would have to wait up to make sure my parents were asleep before sneaking back downstairs to adventure through Hyrule once again.  Dad was usually in bed by midnight, but Mom was known to hang out on the couch until 1 or 2 in the morning, making my stealth mission significantly more difficult.  I waited until 12:30, then quickly stuck my head out to make sure the coast was clear.  Fortunately, Mom had gone to bed earlier than usual, and I quietly slinked down the hall to the stairs.  Upon slowly and quietly opening the basement door, I heard a sound I did not expect.  The classic Zelda music was playing, despite my not being there!  Crawling down the steps, I managed to get a look at about the last thing I ever expected to see; my father sitting 3 feet from the TV, mouth agape, playing my Zelda.  Being caught awake that late would certainly invite trouble, so I quietly went back to my room to wait the old man out.

An hour went by before I dared to try again, but when I did, the result was the same.  Dad was still transfixed by the adventure of Link, and now he was farther along in the game than I was, which is simply inexcusable.  Disheartened and more than a little annoyed, I went back up to my room to wait again.  This time, I waited until I heard footsteps go past my bedroom, indicating that Dad had indeed gone to bed.  Knowing this, I was much less cautious with my next trip downstairs, and I walked down the steps normally, only to see Dad still playing, but now fully aware that I was awake and trying to sneak downstairs.  It was Christmas, so he couldn't be too mad, and he told me to sit down and hang out while he played.  I obliged, and happily spent the next three hours wayching him beat the first quest.  We ended up going to bed at around 6:00 AM, and were both completely exhausted the next day, but it was well worth it to see my father enjoying games the same way I did.  It was a bonding moment that I'll always remember fondly.

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