Bragging Rights

What was your favorite video game as a kid? For me, it's hard to say. I remember when dad brought home the Atari 2600. I think I was about 5 at the time. The most challenging thing was getting the controller away from him! He really liked asteroids. I cut my teeth on Combat, Space Invaders, and Airlock, but I think my favorite must have been Pitfall. I tried playing Pitfall a couple of years ago....wow, that game sucked!

I think the next system we got was the Sega Master System. I don't know why, but my brothers and I decided to buy it instead of the Nintendo. It was cool though because we had some friends down the street that we would swap systems with so that we could play new games from time to time. They had The Legend of Zelda. That has to be one of the absolute greatest games of all time. In fact, I still regularly play that game. Another one of my faves from that era would have to be Shadowgate.

However, one of my most memorable video game moments will forever live in infamy by the simple utterance of three majestic words (at least in my opinion). Those words......Joe Montana's Football. You see, I am undoubtedly gifted by God in many areas. Unfortunately, athleticism is not one of those gifts. In fact, I am so ungifted in athleticism that I was only able to pull off one lone victory in any sports event while growing up....real world or virtual world.

That fateful day arrived while spending the weekend with my grandparents. I had chosen to rent my typical adventure or driving game and my brother chose a football game as his poison. That football game was Joe Montana's Football. I honestly had no idea what specific defenses were good for or what play to call on third and long. However, I did discover that my brother seemed incapable of defending the bootleg pass.

Yes, I found a hole in his defense as large as Simon Cowell's ego and I exploited it as if it were Anna Nicole and I was Howard K Stern. (I'm sorry; I realize that was somewhat tacky) What is even more amazing is that somehow, only by the grace of God who had chosen to smile upon me that day, I managed to call the proper defensive formation again and again.

That day was one of those rare days when the stars align just right. So rightly were they aligned that to this very day, some 15+ years later, all I need to do is look at my brother, and utter the words Joe Montana's Football and my brother is put in his proper place. You see those words instantly cause his seemingly healed wounds to open once again. Those wounds are the kind caused by the type of butt kicking that only a little brother can give.

So what was the final score? 100-7 and that is only because my defensive back fell asleep on the final play of the game and showed him a bit of undeserved mercy.