Everyone needs something to make them smile, especially today. When the world is in chaos, we have to turn to the younger generations to give us the good vibes we sorely need.
Enter Ryan, probably one of the most adorable little boys on the internet, or at least in the top hundred. The video posted by @HollowPoiint on Twitter is quite short, only 12 seconds, but it's enough to get the whole story across. His face is plastered with an unstoppable grin as he holds a clear-case PlayStation 4 controller. The camera pans to Marvel's Spider-Man while an excited older voice (probably the cameraman) urges him to "Press the button! Press it again!"
He's swinging free through Marvel Spider-Man's loving recreation of New York, without a care in the world.
Marvel's Spider-Man is an excellent choice for a first game, and one of the best super-hero games in general. The controls, particularly for swinging, are fairly easy to pick up, even for inexperienced hands that don't know that left stick is for movement and right stick is for the camera. Being in third person allows the new player to accurately see their character in the gaming world, where a first-person game gives a less clear-cut indication of where the character is (particularly when they don't bother to render feet).
Many gamers remember their first "my hands are on the controller, I'm actually playing the game" experience. That sense of wonder, that giddy joy, the realization that there is now a massive library full of fun experiences just waiting to be unlocked, that's the kind of feeling that's captured here in just twelve seconds. His whole world has just gotten a lot bigger.
Lucky for him, there are many games coming out in 2020. He's got a lot ahead of him, and just like all gamers, there will always be more games than hours to play them. Not that that's a bad thing.
Hopefully he'll be able to resist the greatest temptation a Spider-Man fan can face: will being bit by a spider really give you spider powers? (Spoiler: no)
Spider-Man is available now for PS4.
