I didn’t know it then, but the following experience would be the first in many affairs that I would have in my life. I was naïve, and didn’t think there was anything wrong in what I was doing. In the present day, with so many people on both sides of the issue, my affairs would be looked down upon, but the urge persists. I’m sorry, but here is my sad tale of my first affair.

I was living with my folks at the time in an upstairs duplex. In the bottom unit lived my cousins. I was in kindergarten. I loved Voltron, Silverhawks, and Looney Tunes. Above all else, I loved my Coleco Vision. Mouse Trap, Donkey Kong, and Turbo got hours of my playtime. But there was one that stood as the pinnacle of fun- Gorf.



I was fascinated by space, and this space game had it all. Neat colors, cool sounds, and damned if the levels weren’t ingenious. I didn’t know about Space Invaders, so what Gorf offered me was totally unique. There was even a mother ship that you had to fight at the end that would blow up like crazy on the last stage. And when that was done, the game would send me back to stage one and I would do it again and again. This was the definition of fun. Little did I know that temptation was around the corner. In fact, it was much closer that- it was living under the same roof. And when it got its hooks into me, I would never be the same. The bright eyed innocent child would soon be lost to the grip of a different beast.



The Commodore 64.

One day, I ran downstairs like usual to play with my cousins. Perhaps we would climb the tree in the backyard or play with magnifying glasses and burn something. No. Today was different. They were gathered around the corner of their living room where there was a strange glow. And there it was. The Commodore 64. More specifically, there was Congo Bongo.

Congo Bongo, the greatest game this young boy had ever seen. There more colors than Gorf. There was better sound than Gorf. There were snakes, there were monkeys. I was in a daze. What was happening? I asked my cousins for a chance to play- “I’m next!!!” But no, I would have to wait.



And wait I did until it was my turn. Then, I got hit with a coconut and my turn was over. But that coconut did something. It made me realize there was something else out there that was better than what I had at home. My path used to be straight and narrow, and here was the first fork in the road. What was I to do?

In the coming days, I would continue to play Gorf. But it was no longer fulfilling. Something was missing. There weren’t snakes in Gorf. And there certainly weren’t any coconuts. I took every opportunity to run downstairs and play this new game. It was shinier, more exciting, and more importantly, it was new.

I had a mistress now that gave me what I needed. Gorf was old hat.

And as time went on, I would have more affairs. I would meet Sonic, Columns, and Golden Axe away from home, where the experience would be new and fresh. Ryu and Ken would have to wait a little longer as I marveled at Terry Bogard. And I stopped feeling guilty about my trysts. I do what I want to do was my new attitude. This attitude has carried on for close to three decades now, and it all began with an affair with a coconut.