The Nintendo 3DS' Surprisingly Social Legacy

I tell this story a lot: I didn't have much of a life before the Nintendo 3DS. It happened a year after I moved to New York. Aside from my housemates and a couple of over-friendly acquaintances, I didn't know a lot of people, and certainly none who'd play video games with me. It was a sunny fall day in 2014 when Nintendo released its free demo for Super Smash Bros. 4 on the handheld 3DS system. The competitive fighting game's launch, a month from then, was slated to be my highlight of the year.