How did you become the gamer you are today?

[unicron44]

I was discussing this with a friend today. I remember getting an N64 when I was a young kid and I remember playing a lot of Goldeneye and WWF No Mercy. I moved off to PS2 and now I'm about to buy a PS3 after my 360 finally failed for the last time.

I think what interests me about games so much is the technology and behind the scenes of games. I love programming and computers so I think its what's behind the games more than the games itself I like the most.

 

[Judgement101]

I was bored an decided to play Frogger on my PS1

 

[CheesusCrust]

I have a heart problem and had to spend a lot of my childhood either in a hospital room or staying inside resting and video games were always there as my main source of entertainment.

 

[SnootyEnglishman]

I got a Nintendo Entertainment System when i was young and i've evolved with the times.

 

[Aura Guardian]

I got the NES and I became a Nintendo fan to this day.

 

[emeraldrafael]

My dad let me play his NES, then I got into gaming. From there, i went progressively Sony because i just didnt have the money at the time for a N64. So i got the PS1 as my first "3D" gaming instead of the 8 bit days. After that, i was hooked on Sony (though i did buy the Gamecube), because it just seemed to have a better line up. The only game that people with Xbox's had and talked about was Halo, and i just didnt care for it.

But I rely on Nintendo for my handheld gaming. I just dont like the idea of a one analog stick controller, and now have too much money invested in my DS (its a lite, but i pretty much tore it apart and rebuilt it from the ground up to my design) to go to a different handheld.

 

[10zack986]

I dabbled with SNES, but I would say the turning point was when I mom bought the Adrenaline Pack for my brother. Half Life, Opposing Force and TFC in one package.

 

[Vanguard_Ex]

My dad introducing the Sega Megadrive to me.

My heart will always be with you, Sonic <3

 

[blankedboy]

Crash Bandicoot 1 and 3 on my cousin's PSX were probably the kick-starters. I love those games.

 

[Rickyvantof]

My first console was a Sega megadrive and a Gameboy. I don't really know in which order.
Later my dad gave me and my brother a PC with some games on it, running on MSDOS. I specifically remember Prince of Persia and Leisure Suit Larry: Land of the Lounge Lizards.
Yes, I played Leisure suit Larry when I was 8. And English is not my first Language. Just imagine how confusing that game was for me. For example, I knew how to buy condoms at the drug store in the game, and I knew it prevented Larry from dying after having censored sex with a prostitute, but I had no idea what condoms actually were, or sex, even.

 

[Frotality]

started out just seeing NES and sega genesis at other kid's houses; watching people play 90s adventure games and age of empires on the computer as well. my stepfather got an NES and i played that, eventually got an SNES of my own; then gameboy, n64...so on and so forth.

honestly the reason i got into gaming was because i had shit else to do with free time; it was an activity that interested me and didnt require obnoxious neighborhood children be present.

 

[ProfessorLayton]

Three words: Resident Evil 4. If I hadn't have played that game as a kid, my life would be completely different.

 

[AvsJoe]

My mom got me an NES when I was the age of three (3). The thing didn't last long and she switched my focus to reading. But the foundation was set.

When I moved in with my dad at seven (7) years of age, I got to meet my older step-brother, a massive gamer himself. I looked up to the guy. My dad must've taken notice because he got me my first Game Boy that Christmas.

Fast forward three years, and I got an N64 for Christmas. I will forever thank my mom for that. GoldenEye, NHL 99, Cruisin' USA, Harvest Moon 64, Donkey Kong 64... it was at that time I became a gamer.

My dad sure noticed this because two years later I got a Sony freaking Playstation. *This* was where I truly discovered my love for gaming. FFVII changed my life and NHL 2000 cemented my love affair for EA's sports games (f-ck you if you think less of me for loving Madden).

I could mention my PC gaming experiences, my Mac gaming experiences, or my PS2, but this is how I became the gamer I was until only a couple of years ago when my gaming self went dormant. It'll come back, it always does.

 

[rockerman19]

N64 DK Edition when I was 6, Knights of The Old Republic at 13 and Mass Effect at 16.

 

[tojawi]

MARIO BROS.3 FOR LIFE. Then zelda NES original

 

[SeriousSquirrel]

As a kid I played a lot of Super Mario World on the SNES, but apart from that I didn't play a lot of games until I was about 14. It's werid becuase I managed to win an N64, get a Gamecube get a PS2 really cheap, and even got a 360 for Christmas when I was 13, and yet it wasn't until the following Christmas, when I got a lot of games, that I really started to devote a lot of time to games. Now I play a literal shit ton.

Though, here are some games that shaped or changed my taste in games:

NCAA Football 2006
Call of Duty 4
Soldier of Fortune: Payback
Super Mario World
Super Mario Sunshine
KoTOR
Mario Kart Double Dash
Crash Bandicoot series

 

[Nuclear_Suspect]

My father was a Vice President of a large branch of a giant bank, he and the other tech buffs all were involved with the latest hardware way back (1990) in the day. We had computers ( and giant cell phones!) before others, and they all copied games (Atari ST) and shared big floppy disks.

We would make the hour long trip to the only local computer store every weekend to buy a new game (Dungeon Master, Ultima1-5, Space-Police-and Kings Quest games...). I remember our first PC (years later) with CDROM, we bought some Wing Commander game that was had more than 4 disks, it was a big deal being able to install/run it.

I was never given a console. We only did computers. It wasn't until a few years after my father died that I bought my own Dreamcast, then the Xbox was released, and I never looked back.

Sure I had a neighbor that had a Nintendo, I played Mario games for a bit, but with all the blowing/heavy breathing into the cartridge that was involved, I'm glad I had another medium to experience.

That is how I remember getting into gaming. I am 31 years old now.

And here I thought I was the only one who rememberred Atari

I have sorta the same story, my dad loved tech and everytime he upgraded something me and my brother got the older stuff.

I got the Atari, brother got the C64, we then shared the Amiga 500 (Which was revolutionary, so many great games even to this day) Upgraded to some low end PC with a tape deck and since then I've been a PC gamer for many many years.

I'm 28 now btw.

 

[ShakesZX]

I've always been shy and anti-social. So when my dad brought over an original Gamboy (the brick) from a business trip to Japan, I was hooked.