Tag: nintendo game boy

Gamer for Life

On By Michel McDonaldIn Computer, Games, PS Vita, PS4, PSPLeave a comment

Video Games over the years

When I was going through the garage in December to bring the Christmas boxes in the house, I came across our old Atari 2600, so I brought it in and sat it on our dining room table. I brought it in because I wanted to see if it actually worked, and naturally, I couldn’t find the power plug, so that’s a no. So I dusted it off so I could take a picture so I could tell you this story.

I was born in 1970, and the Atari 2600 came out in the late 70’s. My step father bought one, but kept it attached to the living room TV and wouldn’t let anyone play with it, so it sat there doing nothing. We would go to our cousins who had an Atari 5200, which in my opinion was way superior. Eventually in 1983 my step father put it in my bedroom, which was a walk in closet. Being “in the closet” took on a whole new literal meaning.

That was a decision I bet my parents would regret because I became unhealthily addicted to Pac-Man. Every level was the same exact level, the grid never changed. Here is how the game looked and sounded.

Moving right along…

We moved away from our apartment in 1984 to my aunts house in Simi Valley, and my beloved Atari was put in storage and I never saw it again. My cousins would eventually get a Nintendo Entertainment System, and they were 3 kids who all fought over it, and I wasn’t about to get into that fight because it was THEIR system, not mine. I decided that I didn’t really want to have anything more to do with video games until we were stable, so I didn’t want to play. They invited me to play Popeye, and I tried it once, but I didn’t care to invest my energy because I never knew if/when we would move away and I would have it taken away from me.

We did move away and into trailer parks where I played video games at their consoles in game rooms with quarters. I also had a little digital game that could fit into my pocket called Epoch Man that I enjoyed. I also had a Pac-Man watch with a joystick, so as far as I was concerned, I was set.

When I was 22 years old I got a Sega Game Gear with my 2nd boyfriend. We both bought them and we each had our own games. When he eventually broke up with me and I had to leave my apartment because I lost my job and didn’t even have money for food, I sold it at a pawn shop for a measly $20 for the entire package, including a case, several games and a TV tuner. That’s why I don’t have a picture.

When I was 24 years old I got a Nintendo Game Boy, which I still have with 1 game. We were always too broke for food and cigarettes for me, so every time we needed money, one game had to make a sacrifice, which is probably why I hoard games now lol. The Game Boy in its case along with a external battery that clips on to your belt as well as a cleaner disk is pictured above.

Some time in the early 2000’s, I had a website from a hosting company that gave me the option of selling web hosting to people. People would pay me the full price, and I would make a small profit every month. One of the hosting customers asked me if he could pay me for his hosting by selling me his Nintendo 64, and I said yes because I had always wanted one of those. I had a couple of games, but I did eventually sell it several years ago on eBay because I needed the money. It was fun playing it though.

I had played computer video games on my Apple //e in 1990-1992 when I had to sell that system. The one game I really had was King’s Quest 4 The Perils of Rosella. When I bought my computer in 1997, I found several Sierra game collections and bought them. I also played The Sims in 2000 and then in 2002 I started playing EverQuest and I played that for 6 years until 2008, which brings me to the PlayStation years.

In 2007 I bought a PlayStation Portable, aka PSP. I bought and still have 32 physical game UMD’s, and I don’t even know how many game downloads. I played that game so much that the power button barely turns it on anymore, and when it does turn on, the stick doesn’t work because when I try to go right, my character says “F you! I’m going left.”

In 2015 my partner bought me a PlayStation 4 for Christmas. I had asked for a PlayStation 3 because I thought it would be less expensive, but he insisted that if he was going to buy me a game system, he was going to buy brand new, not used, and it might as well be the most current system. Hey, I’m OK with pre-owned at Game Stop. Then I broke my leg in December 2016 and couldn’t play with my PS4  because I couldn’t sit straight up, so he took me to Game Stop in my wheelchair to buy me a PS Vita, which they had to order for me to be delivered to our house via UPS. I haven’t played with the PS Vita as much as I played with my PSP, but I do still play with it when I am not in my bedroom, which is where I play with my PS4 daily.

So that’s about it. That is my video game history. I have always been a gamer since I was a kid, and I will always be a gamer until the day I die.

By the way, the Atari 2600 you see in the picture above is NOT the same one from my childhood. My partner had that when we met.

Also note that I have also played video games on my smart phones over the years as well as my Nook HD+.

PSP Back In Action

On By Michel McDonaldIn Games, PSPLeave a comment

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Being disabled and not being able to work has it’s disadvantages, and it’s boring, so when you are bored, you watch TV, read a book and/or play video games.

I bought my PSP back in 2007 and had such a fun time. I compared it to my Nintendo Game Boy and I always wonder how I was ever able to see the Game Boy screen since the PSP screen was so huge.

Why did I ever stop playing my PSP when I have not finished playing 99% of my games? They were either too difficult, or I got bored and moved on to another game. I do believe I managed to complete one game all the way to the end credits. The Lego games were so fun and some were easier than others, yet I still have not finished them all. Some of them are just about finished, but I never finished them 100%.

I wanted to get a PS Vita because that talks with my PS4 and I already have PS Vita games in my library from games that I got for free with my PlayStation Plus membership. But the problem with me buying a new PS Vita is that I haven’t earned it and I still have a perfectly good PSP that I stopped playing, and I have loads of games I never finished.

Yesterday I brought my PSP to the gym with me so I could see if there were any system updates, and there were. I had to bring it with me to the gym because I haven’t been able to get online with it ever since we got our Bright House Wi-Fi box. The security is not compatible with my PSP, so I guess I figured it was too out of date for my Wi-Fi. Last night I Tweeted Bright House and they actually fixed it, so now I can get in the PlayStation store again and do updates and even use Skype, not that I ever would since it’s audio only.

I have 2 Star Wars Battlefront games for my PSP, and I’m anticipating the new Star Wars Battlefront game for my PS4, so I figured I would play the PSP version while I wait. Yeah, I remember why I stopped playing now. The little analog stick on the PSP is so difficult to play games with because it sticks. You will be trying to run to the right, and you end up running to the left. Or you won’t even be touching the analog stick, and your character is running in all directions, and you can’t do anything about it. I also have a bad habit of pressing the power button while I’m playing and it shuts the PSP off. Also, the battery doesn’t keep its charge. It says it’s a 5 1/2 hour battery, but I might get 2 hours, if that. I could buy a battery on Amazon that doubles the power.

So, yeah, I will be playing with my PSP here and there now that I can connect to the Wi-Fi again, but I still would like to buy a PS Vita to be able to play all those free games I’ve gotten this year with my PS+ membership. Also, the Vita has the 2 analog sticks like the PS4 game controller that I am now used to playing with. I don’t want to buy a used one because I’ve had bad luck with used electronics, but I will have to wait until I’ve saved some money in my Amazon account. Until then… I want to try to finish all of my PSP games.

PlayStation Vita

On By Michel McDonaldIn GamesLeave a comment


I have a Nintendo Game Boy that my partner bought for me in 1994 or 1995, I honestly can’t recall when. I was so bored because we didn’t have much in the way of entertainment, other than the TV with 7 channels of course. He used a Sears credit card to buy the Game Boy and he would buy me games every now and then. It took me months to play one game, and if I knew we couldn’t afford a new game, I would just play the game multiple times. Occasionally we needed the money for food, so we had to sell the games to game stores. We only got a fraction of what the games were worth, but desperate times call for desperate measures. It’s sad too because I still have my Game Boy, but I only have 1 game; Tetris.

In 2007 I bought myself a PlayStation Portable Slim aka PSP -2000. I bought many games, and didn’t have to sell any for the money. I played the heck out of that game system, and now it’s tricky just to turn it on. The power button is glitchy, so it’s difficult to turn it on or off. It still works, but it doesn’t connect to our WiFi because the security is different from when I first bought it, so I can’t buy and download games. If I want to buy a new game, it has to be on the UMD format which I can only buy on Amazon and eBay.

Last Christmas my partner bought me a PlayStation 4. My PSP-2000 talks with a PS3, but not a PS4. If I want to play my PS4 games in the living room, I need a PlayStation Vita. I can also download tons of PS Vita games that I have gotten for free over the last year with my PlayStation Plus account.

I know that I don’t deserve to buy a PlayStation Vita because I haven’t worked for it. I know that I would prefer to play the games I own on my HDTV instead of a smaller screen in my hands, but I feel like there are times when I can’t play games on my PS4 because I’m watching tv in the living room with my partner. He stares at his iPad the entire time, that is if he’s awake, and I sit and stare at either my Nook HD+ or my phone. Sometimes I’d prefer playing Minecraft or whatever game I have instead of staring at Facebook. I have Minecraft PE on my phone, but it’s harder to play on a touchscreen because the screen gets too hot, that’s why I prefer to just stare at Facebook on my phone.

I know I’m coming off as the most spoiled brat in the world, and it’s true, I am. That’s why I haven’t bought the PlayStation Vitayet, because I know I don’t need, nor deserve it. I just want it, and that’s not a reason to spend the money I don’t have to buy it. I could put it on a credit card and pay it off over time, but it’s just not right for me to do that. I have this stupid need before greed thing, and I honestly don’t need it, but I would really love to have it lol.

When my hands heal from the recent order of 200 mini DNA keychains that I recently finished, I will start making different kinds of earrings and keychains to put on Amazon Handmade, that is if they approve me. I recently applied, and they don’t have a category for “Accessories” which is what I classified my craft as. I can’t really call keychains jewelry. My earrings and chokers are considered jewelry, but since they don’t actually have jewels in them, are they really jewelry? The earrings are plastic stems with plastic lanyard. The chokers are hemp with wood beads. Not exactly jewelry. I also make the friendship bracelets, which I really need to make more of. They sent me an email telling me I can change my category to jewelry, so I did. I can’t sell keychains as jewelry, but I can sell earrings, chokers and bracelets.

I’m sure I will need a huge inventory for Amazon Homemade, so when I can start working again, I will make a bunch of things and put them in a drawer to have them ready to ship if anyone orders them. If I make any money, I will keep the money in Amazon so I can buy a PS Vita. I could also start buying Amazon gift cards every month and put them in my account. I’m also playing around with Swag Bucks, so I’ll do surveys and watch videos and install useless apps for SB’s so I can get a Amazon gift card. If I do all those things, then I can say I deserve a PlayStation Vita.

By the way, all these links for PlayStation Vita will earn me money if YOU, the reader click them and buy one for yourself.

The Sims 2 Castaway for PSP

On By Michel McDonaldIn Games, PSPLeave a comment

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I have wanted to play this game for as long as I have had my PSP and I finally bought it today via digital download on the PlayStation Store directly on the PSP.  I love how you can just download games right onto your game system lol.  I mean, I couldn’t do that with my Atari 2600 back when I was a kid, or my Sega Game Gear and Nintendo Game Boy when I was in my early 20’s.  I just think this technology is awesome.  But I digress.

I love The Sims, I don’t know what it is about the series or why I like it so much.  In the  Sims games, you have to do certain things like sleep, eat, use the restroom, socialize, entertain yourself etc.  If you don’t do these things then your Sim will be very unhappy and probably die.  I’ve never let it get to that point so I wouldn’t know for sure that that would happen.

The Sims 2 Castaway, you start out on a boat and you get to add a bunch of characters.  I only added 2 because at the start of a game, I don’t want to have to deal with taking care of a bunch of Sims’ needs.  I can barely handle 1, so I just made 2 so that when the time came to take care of the 2nd guys needs, then I will figure it out.  I have the game forever so I can always either go back in and start over, or I can start a 2nd game.

After I created my Sims, they went sailing and there was a storm and yadda yadda yadda, stranded on a deserted island… castaway lol.  He is alone, so my 2nd sim must be somewhere else.  I haven’t found him yet.

All I seem to do is harvest things and fill my Sims needs.  I have to harvest banana leaves and vines and food and this and that and the other.  I need to harvest in order to eat, but I also have to harvest in order to make things, like clothes, a bed, a hut and whatever sorted things there are to make.  Even though I have to harvest everything, I already know that it doesn’t matter because I’m already addicted to it.  I just looked at the clock and it’s 1:30am.  The last time I checked the clock it was 11:30pm.  So I’ve been staring at my PSP for the last 2 hours like a zombie lol.

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This is my character.  You know, it’s too bad the PSP doesn’t take screenshots, otherwise the image would be so much nicer.  Here he is wearing “Elven Short Shorts” because I didn’t have the ingredients for making anything else.  This outfit took 5 banana leaves and 5 vines.  In order to make something else, I will need more of the same ingredients as well as grass.  Actually, this is the first outfit that I made, the second outfit I made is actually kind of embarrassing.  I wouldn’t want my picture taken with it on and so I am going to respect my Sim by not showing what he is wearing, you know, out of respect for a person that doesn’t exist lol.  He still has pride you know.

EA has only released 3 games for the PSP.  The Sims, The Sims 2: Pets and The Sims 2: Castaway.  I would love it if they would have 1 game with expansions you can buy, or maybe the Sims 3 with or without expansions.  I’d love to play the Sims that you get to play on the Android phones that have vampires in it lol.  Oh well, I will keep dreaming about that Android phone and maybe one day I might get one.  I will keep dreaming.  In the meantime, I have this new game to play and I love it.