Topic: What Made You Become A Nintendo Fan?

Getting a SNES for Christmas in '94 and enjoying the games I got from that point forward.

I got into Nintendo stuff somewhere around my mid-20s, so I’ve had a lot of catching up to do but so far I’ve enjoyed everything I’ve played. My most fun came from playing stuff like Majora’s Mask and SM64 for the first time in my 20s and they became some of my favorite games of all time. I’ve also been collecting switch games as a side hobby.

I had an amazing Christmas in 1986 - I opened a brand new Nintendo Entertainment System with ROB the Robot, Gyromite, Mach Rider, and Duck Hunt. I have vivid memories of my neighbor coming over on Christmas Day (a Los Angeles Police Office) and moving as far back as possible from the TV, shooting at the ducks. From day 1 I was hooked. Every Christmas and Birthday my family would take me to ToysRUs and let me pick out one game, and that's what I would play until the next holiday. 2 games a year was fine when you choose good games, but tough when you grab something like Back To The Future Part 2 & 3.
From a young age I was hooked, and by the late 80's I discovered Video Game Magazines. I started with Nintendo Power and quickly moved on to others, like EGM. I would research other games and consoles, but my loyalty was to Nintendo. I picked up the SNES, N64, and Gamecube...and took part in the console wars arguments at school. I was anti-Sega and Playstation through the 90's. Once I was working and making a few dollars, I bought a Dreamcast, then a PS2 (mainly for the DVD Player) and eventually a XBOX 360 and PS3. While I branched out and played about everything that was available during that time, the Wii & Nintendo games were always among my favorites.
I've owned every Nintendo home console apart from the WiiU - I had about a 10 year period where I fell away from gaming, choosing raising my kids over gaming. When the Switch came out, I was commuting 2+ hours a day on the train. I had stopped paying attention to games during my time away, and when I saw the Switch concept I was sold. I bought the console and shortly after, picked up BOTW. It's almost embarrassing to say this, but I hadn't seen anything about the game - I just thought that a new Zelda would be fun. The last Zelda game I played was Twilight Princess, and with BOTW I was blown away. It was Zelda that really pulled me back into gaming and reignited my love for Nintendo (that, and the Switch).
Now I am all-in, still love Nintendo and have passed the love onto my kids. As for the magazine love... that has morphed into my avid reading of this site, and how much I enjoy this community. We have 3 Switch's in my house, and will likely have 3 Switch 2's as soon as it is out. So many other things I could say, but this is long enough

I'm definitely younger than many others here. I grew up on the Wii and Ds, but never would've considered myself a huge "Nintendo fan." But Breath of the Wild was such an unmatched experience (weirdly he Wii u version rather than the Switch, as that was all I had,) that it single handedly made me one. Afterwards I became obsessed with switch news, even though i didn't have one. And then I finally got one, and played Mario Odyssey. And if I had any doubts where my fandom would lie, they were decimated by that incredible experience. And every since, I've had a wonderful time playing my switch, and being that weird teenager who plays Mario and Metroid instead of CoD and Firtnite. And you know what? I'm perfectly fine with that.

My dad first got the SNES around the time I was born (he was huge into Atari and Nintendo back then), so I got to play his SNES when I was like 4 or 5, somewhere around there. Super Mario All-Stars was the first game I remember playing. Then I got a Nintendo 64 as a Christmas present when I was 5 years old in 1997. Loved games like Super Mario 64, Mario Kart 64, Diddy Kong Racing, Banjo-Kazooie, F-Zero X, Star Fox 64, and heck, even Yoshi's Story. I think that was when I really started to get into Nintendo. I've been huge into Mario and I've had every Nintendo console/handheld since that point.

As for when I started following Nintendo news? I've been reading Nintendo Power since 2002, when the GameCube was still new, and had most of its issues since. It was cool seeing what games were coming out and what games were worth getting. I still remember my first issue where they showed previews of games like Super Mario Sunshine and Metroid Prime... I could not wait to get that new Mario game, lol. As for Nintendo Directs, I think the first one I remember seeing was that Wii U one from 2013. The one that showed that a new 3D Mario and a new Mario Kart were in the works.

I was born a Nintendo Fan. Except for having an Atari 2600 and a pong system back in the day I was always attached to Nintendo. I had a gameboy and a NES. And a Ds and. A gba and most of the Nintendo systems. Now I adore my beautiful Pokémon scarlet and. Violet OLED Switch.

I grew up with the Wii and DS, but it wasn't until Splatoon 1 for the Wii U back in 2015 where I started semi following Nintendo stuff, but I was not even a teenager yet and didn't really understand the Internet that much.
I really liked Splatoon.

2018 when I got a Switch and I was a older so I knew more about the Internet and had more social media, that's when I became a Nintendo fan. Especially after playing BOTW which is basically my all time favourite game.

I was really invested into Splatoon 2 and it's community also around this time.

I like how users of different (presumed) ages are responding to this thread. One of the things I like about the Nintendo fandom is its age diversity.

I was exposed to Nintendo systems pretty early through various cousins' NES and SNES units. The latter was more accessible since my aunt babysat me a lot. Most of these games were platformers, though I do recall playing the likes of Duck Hunt. I'm still not sure which Mario game I played first: Super Mario World, or one of the many contenders in Super Mario All-Stars. I enjoyed games as a pastime but never really became obsessed with them...until the Pokemon bug hit the States. At first I didn't "get it" but soon fell in love with the franchise. I loved the show, tried to collect the cards when I could, drew pictures, had daydreams filled with the 'Mon, even wanted the games. My parents finally gave in and bought me a Silver Special Pikachu Edition GBC for my tenth birthday, along with Pokemon Gold (I obtained other Gen 1 and 2 games later). This GBC was the first game system I personally owned — and still do.

I wouldn't say I was a dedicated Nintendo news follower for some time. Sure, I loved Pokemon and occasionally still liked playing games with that Mario guy, but I was a huge multimedia target as a kid. Any media or franchise I got into (Digimon, Cardcaptors/Cardcaptor Sakura, Medabots, Mega Man NT Warrior, Harry Potter, Transformers, etc.), I wanted games, collectibles, and merch for. If I saw something and thought it was cool, I'd beg for it for my B-day or Christmas, or save for it with my tiny allowance. I did, however, start tracking Pokemon news in my pre-teens once I obtained semi-normal internet access. I followed the upcoming Gen 4 games closely on Serebii and was over the moon when I finally found a game demo in a local store! Then I started following larger news sites like IGN, Gamespot, etc. I think my family getting a Wii - our first actual TV console - helped too, as this is where I finally played games like Twilight Princess and Okami and realized what I'd been missing with recent non-handhelds (I didn't have much TV console access outside of earlier systems, Nintendo and otherwise; many of my cousins were older).

What drew me to this site specifically was I was searching for Skyward Sword news and DSiWare info one day between college classes. NL is a fun community, and I've been around (with some breaks and diminished activity) since 2010-2011 or so. Didn't bother joining until 2015 though.

When I was four I was introduced to my mother's Atari 2600. A few years later I got the SMB / Duck Hunt / World Class Track Meet bundle for Christmas. Every game felt like a higher experience. Better looking, better sounding, better feeling to play. Games had text, told a story, had progression systems.

Going from games where the endgame was just a score attack to games beginning with attract modes that laid down a narrative was a moment of shock and awe.

Then there's the history of Nintendo essentially keeping the video game industry alive in North America (Murica) after Atari had nearly buried it for dead. And for that fact...I am a tad extra appreciative of Nintendo. A stalwart in the industry, while so many other companies attempt this hustle and falter (NEC, Sega, 3DO, etc).

Nothing. I'm not a Nintendo fan. I just like a few of their platforms and games.

Parents got my brother and I a NES when I was 4 years. Played Mario Bros 2 and been a fan ever since. I don't remember much about being 4, but remember this day very well. I played Toad and was super excited and proud when I found a potion that opened a magic door. Apt, as the game did open a magic world up to me.

When I was 7, my parents bought me Game Boy Advance SP and I got excited with its games.