And oh how justified this statement is.
So after Pete and I moved into our little place, I made a solid resolution for myself: Get a Nintendo DS. Heck, if we dont have a washer/dryer unit in our place anymore and I have to do laundry, I'll be DAMNED if I don't have a gadget to help me pass the time.
So a couple months passed, and no DS had been bought. Then one day I checked my email. Nothing new. Until I looked in my junk mail...
In it was an email from a company called Brand About Town, asking for Brand Enthusiasts to spread the word about the Nintendo DS. In return i would get a free Nintendo DS, as well as Nintendo products for a year.
.....
You have GOT to be kidding me. This was either the worst attempt at a scam I had EVER seen, or it's an email sent from heaven above. Seriously.
Curiosity killed the cat; but it made Sade email a response.
The next day i received a response back; Brand About town REALLY WAS a company in LA, hired by Nintendo to spread the word about the DS to women, a demographic that, obviously, unless they've got a gamer boyfriend (cough cough), isnt very likely to have an interest in these sort of fabulous things. And I wasn't the first; I was able so peek at a blog from another girl who was asked to be a brand enthusiast. It couldn't be fake. I jumped at the chance.
The catch? Host a party. Invite up to 30 guests (ALL females), and play the Nintendo DS for a couple hours. In return, everyone who attends gets a free DS to take home. WHAAAAAT?? If you can call that a catch??? I felt like the luckiest girl on the planet.
But now the real task was at hand. 30 girls? Do i know 30 girls?
But ah ha..... I forgot the best source of all. APPLE.
Apple is crawling with cool, computer and electronic savvy females, all of which I knew well enough to invite. I thought the list would fill up in no time. ut suprisingly, I had to convince a lot of girls, which I found odd. 2 girls I invited blatantly said they hated video games and werent interested. ARE YOU KIDDING? This is Nintendo, the original! And you dont want a free DS? Are you on crack?!? I hope so.
And on top of this I had to beat the hundreds of boys at Apple off with a stick. Each and every one either opted to do one (or all) of the following:
1.) Dress in drag and take on a more feminine version of their name. How unoriginal.
2.) Send their girlfriend/ wife/ friend/ relative
3.) Crash the party hahaha
A week later I had it. A guest list of 30...and growing?? Once word got out everyone wanted to come. It was insane! But my biggest concern was secret: what if the big night came and we were greeted with a huge "SIKE!", or were given directions to an abandoned warehouse? Who knew. The entire time it sounded too good to be true.
Until one morning, a few days before the party, a package arrived. For me? How nice. What is it.
A brand spanking new Nintendo DS, with Brain Age 2 and CrossworDS, two new games for DS! I was speechless. How lucky could I be?2 days (and 3 Gamestops) later, I had 5 games. I couldn't (and still can't) put this thing down, but not in a gross, obsessed World of Warcraft obsessed way. Puzzles, riddles, crosswords, word searches, Soduku, strategy games... all in the palm of my hand. It was more awesome than even I thought it would be.
But forget about me and my bad ass DS. I had a party to host. And the big night came! No one could believe the evening that lay ahead. It was AWESOME.
Yeah, I know. I felt like a flipping celebrity. Host mode kicked in right away.
Upon entering, each girl was greeted at the door by a hostess and given a gorgeous (and heavy!) Gold Charm Baracelet. Our mission for the evening: Enjoy the fabulous drinks and appetizers, and play each DS game: MarioKart, Guitar Hero, Crosswords, and BrainAge 2. After completing each game, you would receive a charm representative of that game. Once all games had been played, each girl would be rewarded with a fabulous gift: a free DS.
Needless to say, everyone was up for the challenge, no questions asked. :)
I kicked butt on MarioKart (as usual...ahem), and rocked out on Guitar Hero for DS with the ladies (probably the coolest game there).
And I got free compliments! woot
After about 2 hours of fun, the night was over. EVERY girl left with a free DS and a copy of Brain Age 2. It was so awesome it didnt even feel real.
Ever since then, all of us at work carry our DS's in our purses, hahahah! I dont go anywhere without mine. ;) And I already have a list of the games I intend to own in the future.
Thank you Nintendo, thank you Brand About Town, for making a night none of us will ever forget. It was absolutely unbelievable!
For Tomorrow,
Sade
