Growing up, it was super nintendo and sega genesis. Playing Mario with my two older brothers on Christmas morning. Figuring out puzzles, problem solving for hours. It was great. We had MarioKart, Super Smash, and Pokemon. When it rained really hard, we had a whole ‘nother world waitin’ for us inside our t.v. My reality was half 8-bit, half backyard trampoline. And then, games went ahead and evolved into 16-bit, and 32-bit— BOOM– our brains doubled. Literally quadrupled. Kids went crazy. From Pacman and Tetris to Star Fox and Legend of Zelda. It was a whole new matrix that our minds quickly adapted to. Not to mention the rise of the World Wide Web growing steadily in the background. The 90’s, amirite? And it’s funny cuz, back then, the internet was so slow, it was mostly known for its dial-up sound and You Got Mail. The rest we got today, we’d only seen on Star Trek. But we knew. The optimism was there. As a whole, everyone felt like we were watching the birth of a new age. An era unlike history has ever known. So much so that at one point, I even remember thinking, I know I’m only 5 years old, but this is totally the best time to be alive ever, i swear.

Fast forward to today.

My best friends ex just sent her a VR kit for her birthday. She doesn’t play video games, so she hands it over to me. I strap on the helmet and blindly search for the two bulbous remotes. They should be glowing blue, but one is glowing red and the other, purple. No idea why, who cares. I position myself in the middle of the room and extend my arms in a T-formation as the game demands. I make sure to move the coffee table so I don’t break my face in the middle of the simulation. The camera strapped to the flatscreen is having a hard time capturing me. Stupid 4G. Anyway. In a matter of minutes, I am flying thru the air as Iron Man. Shooting plasma bolts from my gauntlets; I am a living, breathing superhero machine. The clouds are real. They envelop me. I can feel the wind brushing my face. I am here. Suddenly, I’m surrounded by drones. I fly up, down, backwards and forwards, evading 360°. Zooming around ain’t easy, but dammit if it ain’t fu– blurgh… Huh. What was tha– uuuggg what’s– happening to me? My stomach’s twisting into knots. I breakout in a cold sweat– jesus– I’m ready to hurl. I pause the game and yank off the headset like an inverted bear-trap. I’m still standing in the same spot I was just flying in a second ago. My brain feels different.