Nintendo 64 Video Game (Super Smash Bros.)

Nintendo. 1999

Plastic, metal, aluminum

6.35 x 10.1 cm

Personal Collection

This is my personal Nintendo 64 video game, ‘Super Smash Bros’. I have had this video game since I was a child when my parents bought it for me. As a kid, I would always have a group of friends over and we would play this game, as well as many other Nintendo 64 games. This game (Nintendo 64) console was made in the 90s, and it therefore represents that time period: the beginning of video gaming as a community/group, and the technological advancement of that time period socially. We can tell just by looking at the graphics on the front of the Super Smash Bros game that this isn’t a very new design. Metaphorically it also represents the past as I don’t play these video games anymore and I used to play it with a group of 6-8 friends taking turns. This represents the past to me because as much as I’m not good friends with those specific people anymore, it has helped me to learn what it means to grow up because going on different paths can be a part of life.

Today, as we are isolated, playing video games with a bunch of friends at this specific moment is something that is banned, and therefore it associates this video game even more so with the idea of “not right now” but “the past”. This game is part of a series of N64 games I own, and this one represents how I feel about the whole collection. They are very specific to the 1990s/2000s and will represent that time period and how it affected my life and perspectives. It is interesting to consider how such objects and forms of play hold more significance today as we spend copious amounts of leisure time at home,, and while it may represent a beautiful memory to me, it could also suggest a less positive experience for others due to lack of access. This represents my childhood, surrounded by people that were joyous to me in that period of time. 

Katie Butt