Video games aren’t just a leisurely pastime. For some, they’re a way to connect with loved ones and relive nostalgic memories from childhood. I am one of those people.
I pounced on the Nintendo Switch 2 when it came out earlier this year because I wanted something that felt familiar while living abroad. I’ve been a digital nomad for nearly ten years and currently live in Bangkok, Thailand, nearly 8,500 miles away from my six children and two grandchildren.
The Switch 2 lets me play the latest games with my kids, which I love to do, even when the time change makes schedules wonky. It reminds me of when I bought them a Wii many years ago and the hours of fun we had as a family playing Wii Sports in the living room. It also reminds me of a deeper, older memory – one that’s been on my mind more than ever before.
The gift that changed my life
I’m a first-generation American with a Kenyan mom and a stepfather from the Democratic Republic of Congo. Growing up, the emphasis in our home was on working hard, doing well in school, and not taking for granted the opportunities we had in America.
That meant things like video games were frowned upon. The idea of having a video game system in our home was unthinkable to my immigrant parents. My parents worked hard to afford our lives and support family members back in Africa, so there wasn’t a lot of spare money for gifts. Gifts were rare, even during the holidays; we were lucky to get a single gift.
I was fine with not getting as many gifts or the types of games and tech that my friends got. I understood early that not everyone’s life can be the same. When the PlayStation came out in 1994, however, that was the first time I really wanted a gift.
I begged my mom every day leading up to Christmas, did extra work around the house, and ran errands, all while pleading for my mom to make an exception and let us have a video game system in the house. I established a set of self-governing rules for my brothers and me to follow, ensuring the game wouldn’t interfere with our school work.
Credit: Kimanzi Constable
That’s why I cried every ounce of liquid out of my body on Christmas morning when there was a PlayStation and some games.
My brother later had cancer, and my mom is battling late-stage cancer now. My mom can’t talk much these days, but I can still talk to her. I often share with her the core memory of that gift and what it meant to me.
Credit: Kimanzi Constable
Giving a similar gift to my children
I wanted my kids to have the same kind of gaming console memory that I had when I was a kid. So in 2012, I gifted them a Nintendo Wii.
We spent every night playing Wii Sports as a family, creating memories that my kids, now adults, recall often. I had to teach them how to take turns playing the Wii and how to play against each other without it becoming an all-out war when they won or lost a game. There were more than a few incidents when a controller found itself flying across the room.
Credit: Kimanzi Constable
Giving a similar gift to… myself
I started living abroad in 2021, and I’m fortunate that my family supports it. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, my wife and I realized we wanted to live a more nomadic life and explore the world further. I had lost many family members to cancer, and I worried I might get cancer too, so I wanted to live life fully, both for myself and in memory of those I’ve lost.
With our kids all out of the home, attending college and living adult lives, it felt like the right time. We sold everything, including our cars and home, and began traveling with no fixed home base. We became full-time digital nomads.
I gave my adult children, who live together, my original Switch before I moved to Thailand, so they could play Switch Sports via Nintendo Online with me while I was in Thailand. I knew the Switch 2 was coming out before I moved, and that I would get one over here in Bangkok once I settled in.
We get to relive the fun every time we log on, and it’s a way to stay connected even though we’re physically 8,500 miles apart. We coordinate our playtime: nighttime for them and morning for me, since Thailand is either 11 or 12 hours ahead of the Central time zone.
Although the Switch 2 console is larger, I’ve still been able to fit it in my travel backpack and play it comfortably. I recently played Switch 2 on a three-hour car ride from Bangkok to Hua Hin, Thailand, and even played it on the beach at a resort in Hua Hin. I’ve used the built-in voice chat, the stable dock with a second USB-C port, and the larger, magnetically attaching Joy-Con 2s. Playing online is more fun with the upgraded Joy-Cons.
Credit: Kimanzi Constable
Tech gifts can rekindle old memories and create new ones
I enjoy the Nintendo Switch 2 so much that I’m buying a console for our two grandchildren, ages six and four. I know they’ll have a similar reaction to the one I had when my mom got us a PlayStation, as my granddaughter has been begging me for a Switch 2. I want my grandkids to experience the fun I experience every day.
Gaming consoles give me a way to channel nostalgia and nourish my soul, and what I’ve learned through travel is that I need a full soul to live sustainably as a digital nomad.
As we get ready for another holiday season, it’s okay for you to capture the nostalgia and buy yourself fun gifts, too. You no doubt have core memories of gifts you got as a child—perhaps there’s an equivalent gift you can buy yourself as an adult, or something you can get for your children to build upon your own meaningful memories.