15 years ago on this day, I fell in love. On September 9th, 1995, children in North America were introduced to the Playstation gaming system, one of the most influential and iconic pieces of entertainment technology of our time.
From their inexperienced beginnings, Sony has developed the Playstation brand into a powerhouse, worthy of it's spot in the annuls of gaming history. While I may not agree with all of Sony's choices for Playstation throughout the years, I had an undying infatuation with my PSX. I played games, I played CDs, I played the music from my games as if they were CDs, I modded it, I stole games, I broke it, I bought it again.. Endless memories of what I thought was the greatest thing ever, a title freshly inherited from my Sega Saturn.
What may possibly be the strongest factor that roped me in to Playstation, that had me calling every Funcoland within a 50 mile radius, what had me pestering my weary father to drive me out to strange, small towns in attempts to acquire the mystical gray box, was the marketing.
Who the hell is Enos? What am I not ready for? Enos Lives and UR Not E (with the seething red tone of the capital E burning itself into your subconscious) were two of the great marketing slogans that amazed me as a kid (along with "CROSSFIRE!") and maybe part of the reason why I appreciate marketing so much today. Ready (red E) Ninth of September and You Are Not Ready marked the beginning of a new era for gaming, as well as Sony's incredible marketing of it's Playstation that continues today with Kevin Butler and miscellaneous flashes of ingenuity.
While friends and strangers alike accuse me of being an Xbox fanboy, in my heart and in my mind, Playstation has it's own special place. PSX and PS2 helped to mold me as the die hard gamer I am today. And even though I've had my complaints with the PS3, and it's taken me a while to warm up to it, I'm grateful Sony is continuing it's tradition of quality devices, entertaining games, and fun marketing.
Happy birthday, Playstation.