I’m kind of a nerd.

For many Americans like myself (and many, many other people from all over the world) Japan is considered the Mecca of video games; a sacred land that birthed Nintendo, Playstation and an array of dearly loved game franchises like Final Fantasy, Zelda and of course Mario. While I’m not a super nerd that buys dozens of games and spends all his free time in a dark room in front of a glowing screen, I will admit that gaming has been a significant part of my life ever since I can remember, and also played a large part in me becoming interested in Japan.

My first fond gaming memories were from when I was about five years old and I played games like Super Mario World, Mortal Kombat and Donkey Kong Country on the Super Nintendo (スーパーファミコン). Later, for my 9th birthday I received a Nintendo 64 and the Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time which made me fall in love with role-playing games (RPGs) and has influenced me ever since. Nowadays, I have a Playstation 4 and love to play games from the Japanese video game company From Software.

While gaming is a great passion of mine, I also realise that many think it’s a waste of precious time (my wife is one of those people)! I titled this post “I’m kind of a nerd” because I also believe it’s important to keep a balance with what I choose to do in my free time so I can keep up with everything else happening in my adult life while nourishing my other interests.

Whatever you may choose to do with your free time, I hope you enjoy it!

Joe