LIFESTYLE: Nintendo controlling students' lives

This is your brain. This is your brain on Nintendo. Hishhhhhhhhhhhh! Any questions? For many students, Nintendo and its other home entertainment system rivals can be as addicting as any drug. Tremendous amounts of time are spent -- or wasted, depending on how you look at it -- for the sheer enjoyment and challenge of it, or just as a way of putting off class work. College freshman Brandon Fogel said he toils between four and five hours daily in an effort to master the game of Tetris on his Nintendo. The object of the game is to zap away a line of a puzzle by filling every space in the line completely with falling jigsaw pieces. "I'm very addicted to the game," Fogel said. "It's definitely got hallucinogenic effects. Getting a good score is as good a rush as you get." He added that he dreams of standing up in a meeting some day and saying, "I'm Brandon Fogel and I'm a Tetraholic." For many, Nintendo provides a very attractive and intellectually challenging alternative to homework. "I play it to procrastinate," Fogel remarked. "I have no urge to do my homework anymore." "Nintendo is a definite gradebuster," added College freshman Rick Thompson. "It's very addictive and soon you skip class just to play Nintendo. Then you find yourself playing the whole day." Thompson said he and his roommates spend two hours a day playing video games. The consensus favorite among his friends is "Blades of Steel," an ice hockey game. Thompson's love of the game is similar to that of many hockey fans. "I like it because you can get in fights during the game," Thompson said. The devotion to mastering the game can be intense. "I had an hour before my midterm and instead of studying, I was playing 'Blades of Steel'," College freshman Jason Shrensky said. The lucky, or unlucky, owners of Nintendo systems often unintentionally draw large crowds to their rooms, as floormates gather around to get their shot at Nintendo glory. "During the afternoon and at night, we have five or six guys playing in here," said College freshman David Meiselman. "It gets kind of crazy sometimes. You can't get much studying done in the room." "We have Nintendo Olympics for our floor often in our room," Thompson said. Meiselman is another big fan of "Blades of Steel." "My roommate and I play a tournament every night," he said. "I'm ahead six to four." While many Nintendo machines can be found around campus, it is very rare to see women playing on them. "It's too much of a male bonding thing," said College freshman Michelle Leone. "It just doesn't do anything for me." Some women are downright hostile to the games. "I am against Nintendo," said College freshman Rita Abboud. "I call my friend in the high rise and I cannot carry on a coherent conversation with him because he is too busy jumping over obstacles or trying to shoot aliens." The "old" Nintendo Entertainment System, with an eight-bit processor and eight-bit graphics, is the most popular system at the university, but as technology moves ahead, it is facing stiff competition in the home entertainment market. Sega's Genesis is the best selling system now. The Genesis revolutionized the home video game, because it utilized a 16-bit processor and 16-bit graphics, which allows for the action to move faster and the graphics to be more detailed. The Genesis sells for approximately $150, compared to the Nintendo system, which sells for $90. The prices of Genesis's game cartridges, including the most popular one, "NHL Hockey," range from $40 to $45. "RBI 3," a video baseball game, is the best selling Nintendo game. Nintendo cartridges will run between $30 and $35. In August, Nintendo came out with its own 16-bit system called Super Nintendo, in an effort to erase the advantage that Sega had gained in the market. This new system costs nearly $200 and has seven games available at the present time. Nintendo and Sega also face competition from other systems such as Turbografx and Atari. While many have fallen under the spell of these video game machines, there are a few students with enough willpower to resist their addictive nature. "I have it in my room, but I have learned to budget my time and get studying done," said College freshman Neil Aaronson. "I play no more than one game a day." Roommates Mike Magnuson and Jon Steinberg, both College freshmen, have also resisted the habit-forming nature of video games, playing with their Nintendo no more than 30 minutes a day. But the two play it with a definite purpose in mind. "Chicks dig us 'cause we play Nintendo," they both maintained. "I only play it because I have nothing else to do in the room when my roommate is snuggling with some girl," Magnuson explained. The Nintendo debate lives on. Is it a mind-altering addictive machine guaranteed to sink grades or is it just a temporary diversion from long hours of homework? What would Nancy Reagan say? Probably, "Just say no!"

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