Review: Dragon Ball Z – Ultimate Tenkaichi (PS3)

It’s not everyday that you get the chance to really get a good picture of what video games mean to people in the real world. Sure, a lot of people like us who love to read about, play and obsess over games think we know what people think about them. My question has always been, “what do people who are not considered gamers really think about video games?” Today, I have a perfect example that paints a cool picture about how this hobby we love so much is viewed by the world we live in. So the story begins.

It began at the airport in Milwaukee as I was going through security. They ran my carry on through the x-ray machine and apparently something was not up to par with them so they decided to search my bag. In the process of going through my bag the woman searching it found my DS Lite. She asked what it was, so I began to explain what it was to her (I assured her it was not a bomb). She seemed amazed at what it was capable of, as well as kind of sad that she had missed out on such a cool gadget. She even made a comment saying, “video games have come a long way since I was little, and they don’t really seem like kid’s toys anymore.” After that encounter, I was waiting for my flight to board and it happened again! An older gentleman that was sitting next to me in the waiting area seemed to take interest in the device as well. He was asking lots of questions about what it was and what it did. After explaining it to him, he even said, “it seems like a fun gadget to have around.” Next thing I know it, I am on the plane about an hour into my flight back to Houston. The woman next to me leans over and asks me what I am playing. We get to talking a bit and she tells me about how his son is always playing “those games” as he calls them. I was playing Touch Golf as we were talking, and she said it was very cool how someone has come up with such a simple and fun solution for a golf game. Through out my day of traveling, I had a total of 3 people ask me about my cool little handheld gadget. The funny thing is though, not one of them was a young person. All of them were older and they seemed blown away by how cool the DS really is. I feel lucky when I have the opportunity to share something about gaming goodness with people who nornally would not be interested in the slightest. I guess this really goes to show that Nintendo has done something right with the Nintendo DS. Perhaps this Touch Generations campaign is going to be a bigger hit than they ever thought possible. Either way, I am just glad I was at the right place at the right time to have the chance to perhaps win over another gamer for our team! Time Magazine even named the DS Lite the gadget of the week. You can check out that article here.
I hope you have enjoyed this little life experience, and I would love to hear experiences that others have had along the same lines. One day gaming will no longer be a “nerdy” thing, but until then, these little happenings keep me hopeful.