Six years ago, freshman Benjamin Jaramillo was handed a small package by his uncle. In it, he found a Gameboy with cartridges, and before long he started playing the Mario Kart game. Since then, he’s been hooked.
“Mario Kart was the first game I got, and when someone asks me where it started, I always say Mario Kart,” Jaramillo said. “It’s the beginning. It’s where I began.”
Through the years, he has added Kingdom Hearts, Rockband, Sonic Rush, and a compilation of Smash Bros. games, to his gaming repertoire.
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“It’s expanded my way of thinking,” Jaramillo said. “If you’ve ever played any of the Phoenix Wright games, you start to think more logically about more things, connecting pieces of evidence you might find, or connecting common events.”
For Jaramillo, the point of gaming is challenging his mental ability.
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“He does like to problem solve and work through things logically,” sophomore Natalie Jaramillo said. She is Ben’s sister, and sometimes plays video games with her brother.
To satisfy the need for a good challenge, Benjamin crosses platforms so he can game wherever he goes. In addition to his original Gameboy, he plays the Wii, DS, and even old-fashioned arcade games.
“I kind of like arcade games, to tell the truth,” Benjamin said. “It brings back some of the older roots of playing video games.”
Benjamin plays every day, averaging two and a half hours of game time daily. According to his sister, he is very dedicated and is usually disinclined to stop playing.
“Sometimes he will pretend not to hear when [our] parents tell him to stop playing,” Natalie said. “Or he will ask for a little while longer, until he reaches the next save point or finishes a level.”
However, Benjamin is also a very dedicated student.
“I’m that kind of nerdy kid who wouldn’t play video games until I’m done with my homework,” he said. “But sometimes I keep a DS near in case I really need a break.”
Nothing deters Benjamin from answering the call to adventure. For six years, he has been saving princesses and racing his friends in the pursuit of the deeper meaning of gaming.
“There’s always that self-satisfaction when you beat a game that you’ve put a lot of effort into,” Benjamin said. “And then there’s always that urge to continue when you hit a ‘Game Over’ screen.”
