*Musings on the coronavirus, getting my newest gaming system since the 360, Casual gaming on Switch, and more.

2020. Man, what a shit year.

12:01am, January 1st, 2020. As you stood there amongst screaming coworkers, making out with one of them, you gave no mind to the fact this was your last big hoorah. It was New Year’s Eve. You were no longer relishing in “what could have been,” instead turning your focus to, “what could be.” 2019 was behind you and 2020 lay ahead, ready for all of your glory. Then… it happened.

A “terrifying” sequence of events perspired and BAM! There you are. Jobless. Forced to stay at home. Unable to go to a bar and drink away your sorrows. Unable to get a new job because the world is in a holding pattern – waiting to see what everyone else is going to do. Nobody wants to act first, but they sure as hell don’t want to be last to act.

“If I can’t work and make money, how can I pay my bills?” One of the year’s most harrowing thoughts – losing everything you own, including your house.

Once the first stimulus checks arrived, sometime in April of 2020, Americans found themselves with extra money as well as extra free-time. How do we stave off monotony, and much worse, depression, during these unprecedented times? People needed an outlet – an indoor recreational activity. Movie/TV streaming services, online shopping, and video games were among the top recreational activities of the year. Perhaps the biggest surprise hit of the year was Toilet Paper! Just kidding, I’m talking about the Nintendo Switch, of course!

By the end of 2019, the Nintendo Switch was already a hot little number. Hell, by New Year’s Day of 2020, it had already more-than-tripled the sales of its predecessor, the Wii U. But nobody saw coming the absolute smashing success that lay ahead for the remainder of 2020: The Switch going toe-to-toe with Sony and Microsoft…. and winning.

Here we are at the end of 2020, and the Switch has outsold every other console for the entire year. Nintendo has been crushing it out of the park with quality titles from big name developers, in-house teams, and indie devs alike. But the combination of the nation’s Stay-At-Home orders with the release of Animal Crossing: New Horizons was the perfect storm that led to Nintendo’s long-lost yet newfound dominance.

I was late to the party getting my Switch – I received it (as a gift) in September of 2020. Beforehand, I spent much time playing the Switch with friends, reading news about games, talking with friends about games, and the like. Now I get to do all that but from my own couch with my own Switch. My own games. My own accessories. Etc. You see…

… What many of you don’t know, but some of you already do, I am a hardcore retro-gaming fan and collector. Owning almost every console ever made before the Wii, I tend to prefer older games over newer games. I’m a father of two young’uns, a multi-business owner, and a generally all-around busy person. So when I get a quick 30 to 60-minutes of free-time, I tend to gravitate towards my older games. Perhaps as a way to scratch a nostalgic itch. But probably because it’s much easier to do and the requirements involve me investing much less of myself.

Take for example the Genesis exclusive X-Men 2: Clone Wars—- great damn game, by the way. You hit the power button on your Sega and bam – your mutant character is dropped into a blizzard and you’re instantly playing. Try powering up any of your modern gaming systems today after not touching them for 2 months and see what happens – Spoiler Alert: It’s a massive update that takes 20 minutes and reeeeally lets the air out of your sails.

X-Men 2: Clone Wars. (photo credit to Classic Reload)

Let’s be honest, you’re a casual gamer and you just don’t have a lot of free time. The Switch offers up oodles of easy pick-up-and-play options, satiating the desires of the retro gamer and modern gamer alike. And if I’m being more honest, you need a Switch because… well… um… The Nintendo Switch is seriously cool. It’s just… the fanboy in me screams with giddy joy any time I pick up the duo-colored joycons. The colorful and whimsical design of the Switch is soooo Nintendo, and I mean that in the absolute best way.

Conclusion

The Nintendo Switch is a behemoth of a gaming system in terms of content and ease-of-use. Due to my busy life, I have converted to a bonafide casual gamer. Not necessarily by choice, but because it’s how I adapted. While the Switch does boast some lengthy and involved games, namely Breath of the Wild, Skyrim, Bayonetta 2, etc., it also houses many games that appeal to busy adults looking to recapture their youthful spirit.

Tetris 99 – an intense version of the classic puzzle game. (photo credit Polygon)

Untitled Goose Game, Smash Bros, Luigi’s Mansion 3, Tetris 99, and Super Mario 3D All-Stars all come to mind when I think of games that you can pick up and just run through for a quick 30 to 60 minutes. Maybe you’re a casual gamer with a little more free time, maybe consistently in the 2 to 4 hours a week range? There’s always games like Hades, Link’s Awakening, Splatoon 2, Super Mario Odyssey, and many more for your particularly envious life.

Bottom line, the Switch is top-notch for many reasons – but the biggest reasons for their success are NOT because of the pandemic. Their success is fueled by a passion for being different and a penchant for being fun, and people recognize that. Nintendo created the perfect hybrid system that combines the roots of their TV-based console with the magic of the Game Boy (that’s an Extra New 3DS Extreme Ultra XL Maxx for you young bucks). Somehow they captured the childlike wonderment of all ages, balancing “kiddie games” with “games for more serious gamers.” Only time will tell if this is lightening in a bottle or a flash in the pan. Either way, Nintendo’s light burns bright this New Year’s Eve, and here’s to a strong 2021 for all gamers. Happy New Year from Nerd Bacon.