I Bought a Nintendo Switch 2 to Relive Special Holiday Memories.
Video games aren’t just a way to have a good time. For some, they’re a way to connect with loved ones and relive nostalgic childhood memories. I’m one of those people.
I eagerly bought a Nintendo Switch 2 when it came out earlier this year because I wanted something familiar, even though I live abroad. I’ve been a digital nomad for almost ten years and currently live in Bangkok, Thailand, nearly 13,500 kilometers from my six children and two grandchildren.
The Switch 2 lets me play the latest games with my kids, which I love, even when the clock changes my schedule. It reminds me of buying them a Wii years ago and the hours we spent playing Wii Sports as a family in the living room. It also brings back a deeper, older memory that sticks with me like never before.
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The gift that changed my life
I’m a first-generation American, my mother is Kenyan, and my stepfather is from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Growing up, our home emphasized hard work, doing well in school, and not taking for granted the opportunities we had in America.
This meant that things like video games were frowned upon. My immigrant parents couldn’t even imagine having a gaming console at home. My parents worked hard to provide for us and relatives in Africa, so there wasn’t much spare money for gifts. Gifts were rare, even on holidays; we were lucky if we got one.
I was perfectly happy with the fact that I didn’t get as many gifts as my friends and that I didn’t have the same level of games and technology. I realized early on that everyone’s life is different. However, when the PlayStation came out in 1994, for the first time, I truly wanted a gift.
Every day before Christmas, I begged my mom, did extra chores, ran errands, and all the while begged her to make an exception and let us have a gaming console in the house. I set a set of rules for my brothers and me to follow so that the game wouldn’t interfere with our studies.
That’s why I cried all the fluid out of my body that Christmas morning when I still had a PlayStation and a few games.
Later, my brother was diagnosed with cancer, and my mother is now battling terminal cancer. My mother barely speaks now, but I can still communicate with her. I often share with her the most important memories of that gift and what it meant to me.
Give a similar gift to your children
I wanted my children to have the same memories of gaming consoles that I had as a child, so in 2012, I gave them a Nintendo Wii.
We spent every evening as a family playing Wii Sports, creating memories that my children, now adults, often reminisce about. I had to teach them to take turns on the Wii and play against each other without turning it into a full-blown war after a win or a loss. There were many times when controllers flew across the room.
I’ll give a similar gift… to myself.
I started living abroad in 2021, and I’m lucky to have the support of my family. After the COVID-19 pandemic, my wife and I realized we wanted to live a more nomadic lifestyle and explore more of the world. I’d lost many family members to cancer and was worried about getting sick too, so I wanted to live a full life, both for myself and in memory of those I’d lost.
When our children went home, went to college, and began living their adult lives, it felt like the right time. We sold everything, including our cars and house, and began traveling without a permanent home. We became full-fledged digital nomads.
Before moving to Thailand, I gave my first Switch to my adult children, who live with me, so they could play Switch Sports with me through Nintendo Online while I was there. I knew the Switch 2 would be released even before I moved, and I’d buy one here in Bangkok once I settled in.
We can relive this joy every time we log in, and it keeps us connected even though we’re physically 13,000 kilometers apart. We coordinate our game times: night for them, morning for me, since Thailand is 11 or 12 hours ahead of Central Time.
Even though the Switch 2 console is larger, I was still able to fit it in my travel backpack and play comfortably. I recently played the Switch 2 during a three-hour car ride from Bangkok to Hua Hin, Thailand, and even on the beach at a resort in Hua Hin. I used the built-in voice chat, the sturdy dock with a second USB-C port, and the larger Joy-Con 2 with magnetic attachment. Online gaming is even more engaging with the updated Joy-Con.
Tech gifts can revive old memories and create new ones
I love the Nintendo Switch 2 so much that I’m buying one for our two grandchildren, ages six and four. I know they’ll have the same reaction I had when my mom gave us a PlayStation, because my granddaughter keeps begging me to buy her a Switch 2. I want my grandchildren to share in my daily joys.
Gaming consoles give me a way to channel my nostalgia and nourish my soul. And through traveling, I’ve realized that to live a sustainable digital nomad lifestyle, I need a fulfilled soul.
As you prepare for the next holiday season, you too can indulge in nostalgia and buy yourself some sweet gifts. You undoubtedly have fond memories of the gifts you received as a child. Perhaps there’s a similar gift you can buy for yourself as an adult, or something you can give to your children to foster your own meaningful memories.