Chapter 0: What’s My Age Again

I’ll make this brief; it’s the inaugural post after all. I’ve been a gamer since my parents gifted me an NES (pronounced N-E-S, not nes) around the Christmas of 1991. The foundation was set in 8-bit graphics, a wired controller, and an RF connection that turned out to be one of my first lessons in understanding the differences between analog and digital signals. As the years passed, graphics improved, games became richer, and my appreciation for the medium grew immensely. I’d spend countless hours with friends, cousins, and on my own discovering new worlds, completing challenges, and delving into a hobby that most likely solidified my career path. In one of these posts I’ll expound on the lineage and the current console collection I’ve curated.

9/9/99. That date cemented my moniker in ways I wouldn’t have expected. The day after, Eric Urbina came up to me at recess near the four square spot we’d always play at. Middle school Alex was talking about the Sega Dreamcast he had just brought home the day before. It was my first major purchase, something I saved up for and put a deposit down on. Eric, overhearing the conversation, said “Oh yeah, you got a Dreamcast, Dreamcast Boy?” Sometime later, within the school year, my parents signed up for internet service via AOL. When creating a user for myself, I remembered Dreamcast Boy, and shortened it to dcbalex. And thus, my handle was established some 26 years ago. It’s a simple diminutive, but one that has endured in its simplicity while anchoring an era of prosperity and optimism.