This is the time of year when Americans make it a point to feel and show gratitude for the good things in our lives. Many people this year will be thankful for their health, for the fact that they have a roof and food to eat, and, of course for the people in their lives that give it meaning. Some people are thankful for gaming and the blessings it has brought us, whether that's time with friends, unforgettable experiences, beautiful art, or just an escape from a world that can be troubled and often seems to be headed in the wrong direction.
All of that is fine, and we should be thankful, but we should also focus on what really matters, and that is the Amico. That's right, not the Intellivision Amico, just the Amico. They sold the Intellivision name, which we should also be thankful for because it frees up money for them to continue their mission of providing the best possible entertainment experience to families around the world, especially yours.
So what has Amico been up to this last year? They've focused on two things. Amico at home, their mobile solution that allows you to play Amico games on any Android device as long as you have at least one other mobile device to act as a controller, and making a bunch of promises. They've promised Amico controllers coming soon. They've promised Amico at home on IOS. They've promised new games. If they'd only promised to make a bunch of promises then they'd actually have a good track delivery track record.
So why should we be thankful for Amico?
We should be thankful for this wonderful system that has brought so much joy into our lives. When we all think of the dozens of minutes we've spent playing Shark! Shark! before completing it, or all the fun times we've had thinking about playing Evel Knievel, a 10-year-old mobile game that will finally be made available on...mobile but for more money any day now, we think only of joy and happiness. When we've gathered our family around the 8" Android tablet to play some Astrosmash in the most Grandma approved way possible, by linking our phones to the tablet via bluetooth and using virtual controls to steer our ships, we've had nothing but friction free gaming and family fun. When we've looked back at all the wonderful joyous statements by Tommy Talarico, who called the Switch a platform for rape games, called all of us gaming racists, and insisted we'd all like lap dances from the Little Mermaid, who is 15, we've felt the warmth of the best of humanity and the connection that comes from shared values.
But above all we should be thankful that Amico has reminded us what's really important in life. Think of all the people who invested time, money, and energy into Amico only to be rewarded with...nothing. They didn't get any money back from their investments. They didn't get to play games with family and friends on the world's greatest console. They didn't get finished versions of Biplanes or other games they purchased. It seems like they didn't get anything.
But that's not true. What they got was something more precious even than a round of Farkle. A reminder that it's not what we do with the people we love but rather their presence in our lives that's important. It's not about Astrosmash with grandma, it's about being with grandma, talking to her, hearing her stories. It's not about cornholing with your kids, it's about listening to them, getting to know them, showing them you're there for them no matter what. With a console or without a console. Amico taught us this. And really, isn't that what matters most of all? Amico means friend and Tommy Tallarico was a friend to us all by sharing this important lesson.
But not a console. There will never be a console. We can be thankful for that too, I guess.
Share whatever you're thankful for in gaming or in life. Or in Amico.
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