The Game Boy, that iconic grey handheld console, turned 35 this month. For millions, it was a first introduction to video games, a shared family experience, and a constant companion through childhood, long journeys, and even grief. Readers shared their most cherished memories, from playing under the covers with a torch to swapping Pokémon via link cable.
George recalled getting his first Game Boy and Tetris from G-Force in Glasgow on his eighth birthday. He took batteries from his gran's TV remote to play, and later received Link's Awakening for Christmas. The device accompanied him everywhere, from family holidays to Scarborough to late-night sessions in Crete with a towel over his head to see the screen. Now, he uses an Analogue Pocket to relive those experiences.
Jon's yellow Game Boy was stolen from a summer daycare, but he was soon bought a grey one with Tetris. He remembers the musical chirps of Super Mario Land, the heartbreak of dying batteries during 6 Golden Coins, and the tiny chirrup of hatching a Yoshi. He bought a magnifier with a torch for nighttime play and exchanged Pokémon with his brother on a boat to Rotterdam. The console remains at his parents' house, full of adventures waiting to be revisited.
Anisa Sanusi, a game developer, shared a poignant story: at age eight, her father said the Game Boy wasn't for girls because of its name. She spent the next 25 years proving him wrong by becoming a game developer and founding Limit Break. Another reader, who wished to remain anonymous, recalled how his mother bought him a Game Boy for Christmas 2000 during the Pokémon craze. He kept it secret as a teen when he sold other consoles, thinking he should grow up. The Game Boy kept him gaming, and he later used his student loan to buy back everything he had sold.
