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To what piece of technology would you write a “love letter"

 Technology is in every part of my life. Every day, I use my phone, laptop, and TV. However, if I think about any specific piece I would write a love letter to, it’s the Wii U. I have the most memories with this console than anything else.

At its release in 2013, it was not received very well. To sum up what critics thought of it, “meh”. But as a 9-year-old whose Wii mini had finally broken, the Wii U was a beacon of light.

The Wii U was very similar to the Wii, so the same wand-like motion controllers worked with it. The main change was the addition of the ‘gamepad’, a large controller with a screen in the middle which acted like a Nintendo DS. You had an iPad to play games on that connected to your TV.

I made some of my best memories with the Wii U. I can still remember one specific sleepover when I was about 10. My best friend Tiago was over for the night. We bonded over video games, so we played the whole afternoon. The time passed quickly, and we needed to head to bed, but we weren’t ready to stop playing. We devised a plan to bring the Wii U gamepad upstairs where it would hopefully not lose connection with the TV, and we could continue having fun. This turned out to be a success, and we enjoyed the capabilities of the console for at least another hour.

The Wii U not only boosted my time with friends, but it also consoled me when I was alone. In 2016, my family took a half-year sabbatical to Berlin. I struggled with my life in Germany. I could not write German well and had difficulties with grammar. I stayed up late every evening doing homework but still didn’t do great. It did not help that I joined my new school in its second semester. I would’ve had an even worse time without my Wii U. I had convinced my parents to bring it even though it was on its last legs and we would only be gone for half a year. I made the right decision. On the lonely days when I missed my friends back home, I played on my Wii U. My favorite games were those based on IPs I was familiar with like “The Amazing Spiderman 2” and “Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark”. My environment was different in Germany, and I couldn’t be with my friends, so video games were an escape from reality. Instead of wallowing in pity, I could pretend to be a superhero.

Unfortunately, these were the last memories I would make with my Wii U. The sabbatical was ending, and we needed to pack for our return to the US. There was an overabundance of items to bring back to America, so the Wii U was a sacrifice. To this day I regret not throwing out anything else to make room for my dear console. It had been with me for my highs and lows, and it could have been memorabilia had I brought it back. I know it’s silly for a gaming console to be the most important piece of technology for me, but it is. Everyone has an irrational love for something that doesn’t seem very valuable. The circumstances just paired perfectly for the Wii U to affect me how it did. No matter what kind of amazing and futuristic technology can be invented, nothing will come close to my Wii U.

Comments

  1. MasonOctober 28, 2023 at 5:55 PM

    You talk about how it's "silly for a gaming console to be the most important piece of technology" but I think it's a perfect choice. You make a great pitch for why the Wii U is important, and that reason is nostalgia. I think you can elaborate on the irrational love for something, and talk about why you love the Wii U more than just any other piece of technology. You can talk about how memories connect to that piece of technology more. I liked reading this because it's relatable. It reminds me of playing Super Mario Bros Wii with my friend who had moved. Great post!

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  2. Nyla Kyles October 31, 2023 at 7:27 PM

    I like your essay. I had a Wii U when I was younger as well. I still hold the memories of having friends over just to play the Wii and family game nights playing the Wii very close to my heart. unfortunately one day out of no where my mom donated our Wii and that was the end of those days. I relate to you saying you wish you made room for the Wii because I feel the same way sometimes I find myself thinking of those days wishing we still had the Wii to play with. Overall great post.

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  3. Walter KraatzNovember 2, 2023 at 4:18 PM

    Great essay! I like how you give multiple reasons for your love of the Wii U, and how they show that it was a great way to hang out with your friends but also something fun on your own. I also like how you're not just praising a technological aspect of the Wii U but instead describing how it has impacted you personally. You could take that personal element of the Wii U a little closer to the beginning of the essay if you want to get the reader thinking about that personal connection earlier on.

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