Old Things Are Great!

You know what?  We’re all threatened by old people playing Nintendo, but “old” doesn’t necessarily mean “bad.”  I can think of a lot of old things that are good, like:

Superman: The Man of Steel hearkens from the first half of the twentieth century, and is potentially the most powerful person in the universe.  At least until the post-Byrne era: a classic hero that continues to be relevant.  And, just think, without him we’d never have Smallville.  I don’t want to live in that world.

Television: Television is without question the greatest invention ever, since it lets us interact with others without ever actually leaving the house or talking.  Plus, it’d be a lot harder to see what was going on with your Wii games if there wasn’t a place to display them.

Mushrooms: Mushrooms have existed since at least the Paleolithic Era, and that’s without me doing a lick of research.  Think how important they’ve been in Mario’s life, if not yours.  That’s what I thought.

Popeye: The prototypical sailor man originally appeared in 1929, if you can believe it.  That’s over eighty years of fighting, rubbing Wiffle hens, and practicing healthy eating habits.  Not to mention almost starring in one of the most influential games of all time, which ended up featuring a big ape, and then getting his own game after that which wasn’t nearly as influential.

Mark Twain: This man lived in the 1800s and was a prominent social critic, author and humorist.  We were all forced to read at least one of his books during school, and we’re all the better for it.  Plus, he was in that really cool two-part episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Hiroshi Yamauchi: Now, it’s wrong to say that we wouldn’t have Nintendo without him, because the company itself would likely still be there, or at least still have existed.  But we certainly wouldn’t have the Nintendo that we all know and love.  Speaking of love, he’s also the guy that pioneered the “love hotels” initiative for the company.  Not quite as successful as Metroid, but who could have guessed that at the time?

M. Noah Ward: This guy’s so old, he remembers when Ronald Reagan was President!  Wait, what’s the President?  Who’s Ronald Reagan?  Is he related to Ronald McDonald?  Why can’t I remember?