It's Turbo Time!

Hey there! 

Gamatroid here, and I want to welcome you to the inaugural post on my new blog / fanzine here on Blogger, called Turbo Times: A TurboGrafx-16 Fanzine!

But I have a secret to confess... I never had a Turbografx as a kid. 

Before I get into why I decided to create a fanzine about a console I never owned, let me tell you a little about myself.

I'm an 80s kid (meaning I'm old) who likes to play both retrogames and modern games, and I post quite a bit of gaming content across TikTok and YouTube (plus I'm on practically every other social platform imaginable). 

I grew up in Western New York State in the early 80s. My first home console was the Atari 5200 (with the 2600 adapter) and I had a Sega Master System way before I ever played an NES. 

Eventually my parents got me the NES that came with the Power Pad, since I could play games and also exercise (haha, yeah right). 

I then got a Super Nintendo when it released, and a few years after that I finally got a Sega Genesis. Of course then I moved onto the original PlayStation, then Nintendo 64 and so on.

Today I play games across Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series S, PlayStation 5 and Atari VCS, plus a decently powerful PC (although I typically just capture and edit gaming videos on it).

So...why do I want to create a fanzine dedicated to a console I never had? 

Well, there are a few reasons:

1. The TurboGrafx-16 wasn't as broadly popular in North America as the consoles from Sega and Nintendo (in fact I didn't know anyone who owned one) so I'm not as familiar with it, but it is beloved by a small but loyal and dedicated fan base and I'm curious what all the hype is about.
2. I get to explore and learn about a console I didn't get a chance to experience as a kid, so outside of a few of the more popular games I may have played over the years, like Splatterhouse and Rondo of Blood, most of the games will be completely new to me. (I'm hoping to find a few new favorites.)
3. My opinions aren't clouded by nostalgia, and I'm hoping I can bring a unique perspective to TurboGrafx commentary, by looking at the console and games through the eyes of a mature gamer experiencing them for the first time.

So there you have it. No epic, earth-shattering reasons for undertaking this adventure, but regardless I'm excited to begin my journey into the wonderful world of the TurboGrafx-16.

I plan to at publish stories to this blog / fanzine at least once per week, plus post dedicated YouTube videos showcasing my experiences. If that goes well and I'm enjoying the journey, I may consider additional content as well.

Whatever this journey brings, I hope you'll enjoy coming along for the ride.