I mean, I didn’t take notes or anything, but given how much I played, looking back I think it was some sort of coping mechanism. Moving can be tough on kids.

Wow, I totally forgot about this one. I used to play it all the time when I was a kid. I think I bonded with it because my family moved to California around that time and I had trouble fitting in (a-la Daniel-san), so I think partially it was my way of simulating being a native as silly as that sounds. Anyway, I had the NES version, but your write-up is making me want to try a Sega ROM of it. Thanks for the nostalgia blast!