When Nintendo’s Game Boy was first released in 1989, it quickly became the must-have portable gaming system for players of all ages. Compact, durable, and endlessly entertaining, the Game Boy revolutionized how people played video games outside of their living rooms. With its simple design and addictive library of titles like Tetris, Super Mario Land, and The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening, it became a cultural phenomenon. Even celebrities couldn’t resist its charm—Robin Williams himself was an avid Nintendo fan, often playing alongside his daughter. In fact, he loved the Zelda series so much that he named his daughter Zelda in honor of his favorite game.
Fast forward to today, and the world of gaming looks completely different. Kids are growing up surrounded by sleek smartphones, powerful tablets, and handheld consoles with crystal-clear graphics and responsive touchscreens. The idea of using physical buttons to play a game can feel strange, even outdated, to a generation that taps, swipes, and pinches their way through digital entertainment.
That difference in technology became hilariously clear when YouTuber Chris Cohoon introduced his young daughter to a Game Boy Color. Hoping to share a piece of his childhood, he handed her the iconic handheld console to see what she thought. Her reaction? Pure confusion. Instead of pressing the A and B buttons or using the D-pad, she instinctively started tapping the screen—expecting it to respond just like her iPhone or tablet does. Of course, nothing happened, and her puzzled reaction quickly became priceless internet gold.
Watch this little girl trying to play an old school Game Boy…
Moments like this highlight just how much technology has changed in a short time. For older generations, the Game Boy brings back waves of nostalgia, while for today’s kids, it feels like an ancient relic. Just like past generations once puzzled over getting up to change the TV channel, kids now marvel at the idea of a handheld gaming device that doesn’t respond to their fingertips.
Please share this adorable little girl trying to play her dad’s Game Boy by touching the screen with your friends and family.
