Hope and Joy

Hope and Joy

These are the two emotions I relate to a bunch of things. Family, Friends, and all things retro gaming. It is these two emotions that I also associated with Intellivision on the announcement of the Amico. 

Hope that they would be able to deliver an experience that I was looking for at the time, and still do. An experience that allowed me to look back at my childhood, and share that vision with my kids in a new way. 

Joy when I was able to actually experience some of my favorite games growing up in that new way. Knowing that I would be able to share this joy with family and friends. 

At the beginning, I was just a wide-eyed fan…looking forward to something that might be cool. As I heard more about the project, I wanted to join in the fun, and talk about this all with friends I found on the ride. The journey was, and continues to be paying dividends beyond what I could have imagined. I’ve met so many cool folks, and made new and lasting friendships. I was able to connect with the team behind the project, and was able to check off some more “game industry” boxes, as I’ve always wanted to get sneak peeks at things in progress. Many of us that have been following this thing all know how cool it was to be given that much insight into things.

Another huge checkbox for me was getting to play this a few times, in a home of someone that welcomed many when they didn’t have to, at the Crayola Experience in PA the next day, and again at a dinner party later on that night. I never thought that I would be able to do any of those things, let alone do them all with friends and family. I’m a huge nerd, and I’ve always wanted to be a part of this “behind the scenes” world. 

From doing podcasts, going to cons and preview events, and doing the odd interview here and there with my fledgling production company, it was cool to see things from the outside. Sure, we’d get to see some cool things back then, but experiencing this stuff with Intellivision really made me feel like I was on the “inside”. I feel blessed to be a part of all this, even now.

I’ve had people ask me if I regret any of this, especially the significant amount of front-loaded cost entailed. (To date, if I include all I’ve purchased and pre-ordered, with tickets and travel included…I’m all in if everything releases at around $3000) My answer to this is an emphatic NO. All of these positive things were happening to me during one of the most stressful and tumultuous times in my, and I’m sure many of your lives. Those little news drops here and there were just another little thing to break the monotony of the day for me. It kept me engaged with friends I couldn’t see in person, and gave my family something to geek out over almost every week. When it all culminated in being able to hold that controller in my hand, make all that content to share, and see the smiles on my family’s faces…that stuff is priceless to me.

I hope that gives you all a bit more insight into how I feel about all this, and why I’m still here keeping the lights on. I’ll always be there with them on, until beyond launch, or someone from INTV tells us to turn them off.

We are all still waiting to hear news regarding this system that many of us have been waiting for. Most for a long time now. I hope that we will hear news soon on what progress has been made on this project. And I for one will be ready for the joy that playing this again with my family and friends will bring. I hope that all of us will get to do these things, and share in that joy too.

***This message was posted on the Intellivision Amico Club group on Facebook. Want to join in on the fun? Apply here: https://m.facebook.com/groups/amicogamingfun/?ref=share&mibextid=S66gvF ***