The Hinds County Board of Supervisors sent me a check through the mail last week, paying me for performing my civic duty by participating in the juror-selection process back in August. The amount may not have been significantly high, but because I had already budgeted out my bills for the month, I decided that I was going to treat myself. Generally, I’m a frugal person, but I had just finished paying off a credit card the week before, so I decided a small celebration was reasonable.
Fast forward a few days, and I have my hands on a shiny, silver handheld gaming device. During my most formative elementary-aged years, I rarely left home without my Game Boy, specifically the clamshell model Nintendo released in 2003 known as the GBA SP. Every 11-hour car ride to visit family up north involved me sitting in the backseat, eyes on the three-inch display for as long as the battery lasted.
While I still have my original green Game Boy (complete with a lot of scratches and worn-out paint, signs of a child’s love) in my possession, I have become spoiled enough by modern screens that I wanted to play some retro games on a newer device sporting a few extra bells and whistles.
See, when the COVID pandemic hit Mississippi in 2020, I discovered that a way I can help reduce my stress is by engaging in media and activities that feel nostalgic to me. When I need to unwind, I may put on an episode of a childhood-favorite cartoon, reread a novel I used to check out of my school’s library or boot up a video game I sank hundreds of hours into as a kid. Doing so transports me to a simpler time, and those little booster shots of joy are often just what I need when the pressures of adult life weigh me down.
As such, I’m not surprised to learn that studies as recently as 2023 have concluded that nostalgia can be a “powerful psychological resource.”
“(Nostalgia) makes people more optimistic about the future; it boosts well-being; it reduces anxiety; it increases positive mood and self-esteem and meaning in life. But more than that, it makes people thankful, and it energizes them,” social psychologist Clay Routledge of the Archbridge Institute’s Human Flourishing Lab explained to the American Psychological Association.
With affirmation like that, it’s no wonder that during quarantine—when I felt isolated and anxious about the future—I turned to something nostalgic like playing retro games from my childhood. That little activity has since evolved into a major hobby, and I find myself feeling nostalgic whenever I play any of these older 2D games, even ones I didn’t play in my youth. Somehow, I am able to receive that nostalgic feeling (and the dopamine that comes with it) just by exploring these older gaming systems’ libraries.
If you can find the time this weekend, I highly recommend that you reacquaint yourself with that book, game, film or activity from “way back” that brings a smile to your face just from remembering it. Maybe it’s been well over a decade since you last touched whatever that thing is, but I suspect you’ll end up saying you had a good weekend if you give it a go! And if you can share that nostalgic experience with someone else, all the better.
Don’t hesitate; put on those nostalgia glasses and find joy in those past passions. Go fishing at the spot your dad used to take you. Bake some cookies using your grandmother’s recipe. Listen to that album you and your sibling sang your hearts out to during that road trip you took that time. You’ll be glad you did.
Oh, and if you have a favorite video game from the ’80s or ’90s that you have strong memories about, share your stories my way. Shoot me an email. I’d love to listen to you reminisce about trips to the arcade, information-sharing roundtables on the playground, and sleepovers with your best buds where you passed the controller back and forth for hours. Maybe I’ll add your faves to my to-play list!
This MFP Voices opinion essay reflects the personal opinion of its author(s). The column does not necessarily represent the views of the Mississippi Free Press, its staff or board members. To submit an opinion for the MFP Voices section, send up to 1,200 words and sources fact-checking the included information to voices@mississippifreepress.org. We welcome a wide variety of viewpoints.
