By Nyah Toomes

Staff Writer

Tap, tap, tap. My tiny fingers danced across the keyboard of my oversized Dell computer after an exhausting day of first grade.

Disneychannel.com was my home away from home. Whenever I had free time I would watch clips of That’s So Raven or Suite Life of Zack & Cody. However, my absolute favorite thing to do was play video games online from my favorite shows.

I spent hours playing Kim Possible: A Sitch in Time trying to beat my latest high score or get to the next phase in the three part game. I usually set aside my afternoons for playing Tipton Trouble, which consisted of me tiptoeing around the Tipton hotel as Zack or Cody mischievously hanging up posters.

Sometimes, I switched it up and tried to stack sandwiches higher than Mount Everest as Stitch in 625 Sandwich Stacker or turned into a nail tech when I did Hannah Montana’s nails in Miley’s Malibu Manicure.

My obsession with online video games was not left at home. Whenever I was assigned to do something in the computer lab at school, I would always have another tab open for CoolMathGames.com or Club Penguin.

Playing these games brought me joy no Polly Pocket or Tamagotchi could bring me. Although I really did enjoy playing with my school friend’s Tamagotchis or Yugioh cards during recess.

I was an only child until my little brother was born towards the end of second grade. Online games supplied me with a different type of connection with other kids in school when I was trying to beat their high scores or talking about games during class.

The fact that I did not have any siblings to play with or toys that I was deeply connected to, the internet was my favorite activity.

Outside of Disneychannel.com, I would create digital art on Paint, which usually consisted of smiley faces and random scribbles, along with watching music videos of my favorite artists, Miley Cyrus and Aly and Aj, on YouTube.

I exposed myself to an abundance of pop culture, which shaped me into the person I am today. Growing up this way has allowed me to connect with many people, even strangers that are my age. It is almost as if the internet means more than a toy to me.