My Gaming Story: It's Not Infatuation, it's Glory!

I hear the jokes of friends who describe their video game adoration beginnings. Some almost swear that they began loving video games since they heard their mothers cursing Mario half to death at the TV (all this while in the womb, just to clarify). Unfortunately, I didn't have the luxury of being "born" a gamer. Instead, my hate for gaming dissolved, revealing the core of love I have for the medium.�

I suppose it began when I was around two. My memory isn't completely vivid, but I can admit that I watched my father play Super Mario Bros. 2. I was captured by the lights and beeps of the game, but it wasn't until Sonic that I really entered the gaming realm myself. My little brother and I were often competitive and Sonic 2 was the perfect versus game to settle the qualms that often surfaced.

Even then, I wasn't exactly hooked onto the medium. I grew bored with the games quite quickly, and even had frustration issues that caused the demise of a controller (it's hilarious to see a little girl crying and throwing a controller around). The highlight was probably with Final Fantasy III for the Super Nintendo. My brother and I often visited my older cousin as children. When he had quality time to spend with us, he would keep our minds busy with expressive colors and "high-end" graphics Final Fantasy III had to offer. The music was orgasmic, and by then, it had hit me that I wanted to also play. But because I was ten, my cousin wouldn't allow neither me nor my brother access to the glory of the SNES. So grumpily, my brother and I spent a good portion of our visits watching my cousin tackle conflicts with Celes, Edgar, Terra, and Locke. Sitting in the passenger's seat didn't necessarily ever stop me from wanting to play, as I was always bouncing out of my seat, desperate to snatch a controller (even if the game was multiplayer, he still wouldn't allow me to play along).�

It wasn't until he received a PS1 later in the year that he would pass down his SNES to us. Not only did he include Final Fantasy III, but also Final Fantasy II and Mystic Quest!

So guess what I played first after all that patience!?

Mystic Quest.�

And it was worth it. Even today, it is still worth it.�

But despite me receiving the treasure trove (not to mention first) of role-playing games, my greedy little hands demanded for more. My cousin had access to not only the PS1, but Final Fantasy VII. Of course, seeing the commercials with the 3D polygons really hyped me for the game. Yet, my grandmother (who I was living with) wouldn't buy me a copy of the game, let alone a PS1. So with some patience, my brother and I managed to stay the night at my cousin's home again, and with apprehension, my cousin granted me the opportunity to play for myself. It was the most thrilling, yet ephemeral experience of my childhood. The characters, the story, the battle system...

Too bad my fun was obliterated when I accidentally wrote over my cousin's save (which involved over 99 hours of playtime).

Nevertheless, it's what began my absolute love for video games, especially role-playing games (mainly Final Fantasy). To this day, though my time with them has greatly diminished, I still hold the same love I had for them as when I was a child. Even despite the influx of indie and terrible games, I still find myself drawn to plenty of good ones that keep me playing for an hour or two at a time - so as long as the shiny games continue to surface, my video game love will never (completely) die.

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lennasuzaka1988   

Everyday Legend   1

Marcel Hoang   1

Firion Hope   1