Your personal journey through gaming.

[GAME OV3R]

Having gaming for about 12-13 years it's been really interesting to see how gaming and consoles have evolved over the years so here's your chance to post were your own journey began to were your at now and to discuss wether the many changes of gaming are all good or or should've been kept the same.

my journey started when i was around 6 years old playing on a relative NES, i don't remember a lot about it but it was a wrestling game of some description and at the time i didn't feel entirely interested, then about a year later i was given the super nintendo with games like jurassic park, mario all stars, star wars and a street fighter style vs game that was entirely Japanese so i never even knew what it was called.
Then came the Nintendo 64 bringing a majority of 3D games to life, Zelda: Ocarina Of Time, Mario 64, Turok, Golden eye, the list goes on. Now the jump from purely casual games on the SNES to pretty massive scale games like zelda on the 64 in such a short amount of time is pretty impressive, i could be wrong on this but if im not mistaken the 64 brought about some of the first "sandbox" games which even now next gen consoles are still generating, so not only have games and consoles evolved over time but genres to.
A fair few christmases later i finally got a PS2 which was not without it charm, games like GTA making it's 3D debut, racing games like need for speed brining out the 'pimp my ride' Esc customizations the list goes even longer (EDIT; my mind went blank, couldn't remember any others, feel free t mock and post your own.)
after the PS2 came the long awaited XBOX which to me brought real social gaming, not sitting on your own with a microphone shooting people across hemispheres i'm talking two xbox's, two tv's, one system link cable, one sofa to seat three and around 8 friends. to this day whenever think back to those time one phrase sticks to mind, the inevitable "Stop looking at my screen you cheating b*****d!"
This brings me to probably one of my only problems with the 360 and PS3, they both seem to think todays gamers don't have any more than 1 other friend meaning most co-op games now only support one extra player when playing offline, even games like Left 4 Dead support this, now judging from the big '4' in the title i was under the mad delusion that i'd be able to bring 3 other man children to play (EDIT; sounded better in my head") the result was me getting slapped for dragging them out only to have to sit and wait for their turn.....

So what are your gaming memories? do you have the same qualms as me or do you have your own personal beef with how gaming has changed?

 

[Dubghlas]

Vic 20 back in '83 with tape drive games, mostly text based adventure games
then C-64 and Amiga where I found manna from heaven, Civ, Warcraft, Dune 2000 and Settlers, Strategy games were the ones for me for the next 10 or so years before I joined the MMO bandwagon

Eversux short time then Earth & Beyond until SOE pulled it, the beginning of my total dislike for SOE, I tried pretty much them all after that, DAOC for 4 years and WoW for the last 5+ years with Vanguard, Alpha release, LOTRO, DDO, AOC, Warhammer which I had high hopes for after playing DAOC but well it failed badly, now there are so few playing you can get unlimited trial time up to level 10.

I also played a wide range or RPG and Strategy games in that same period, all the Panzer General 5 star games all the AoE and Civ games, almost all the Bioware games, just completed DAO and it was pretty good with actual meaningful decisions, make the wrong one and you didn't find out for 12 hours of game time.

 

[Gentleman_Reptile]

I have ALOT to thank Conkers Bad Fur day for. It was the very first game I can fairly say I truly loved playing. I rented it from my local video shop for weeks and weeks at a time, and nearly had a heart attack the day I got it as a birthday present. As I sat down, controller in hand, and listened to Gregg ***** about cats with the knowledge that I never had to return the cartridge, I found myself experiencing my earliest memory of peaceful bliss.

While Conkers adventures were the defining attribute in cementing myself as a gamer, I now realize that my journey started even earlier.

My console list throughout the years is as follows:
NES
Super Nintendo
Sega Saturn
N64
Gameboy Color
PS2
PS3

In that time, I've seen gaming go from barely recognizable sprites of Sub-Zero ripping out Lui Kangs throat, to the high-res dirt pallet of modern day hyper-shooters. And I can honestly say, that we've come along way.

But we still have miles to go.

Modern gaming has a slew or irritating problems. Soulless PR executives hype up the latest piss-drab shooter like its the greatest thing since sliced lesbians (Two whole weapons at a time? And all I have to do is wait for my health to return? Whoa that's so new! Plus they say 'fuck' alot! Edgy!). Fighting games are still just as horrendously bad at character development as they were decades ago (Soul Calibur 4 I'm looking at YOU), there's a crippling lack of co-op, and the developers idea tanks seem way too low way too often (*cough*Bayonetta*cough*)

But strangely, I'm still having just as much fun as I ever did, and I will stick by my controller and defend my hobby from asshats like Michael Atkinson as long as it takes.

 

[MultiColouredWonder]

At first, when I was two, I started out with a Super Nintendo, along with my only game; Super C. Next up came the N64. I indulged into a variety of different genres and game styles. I had Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Super Mario 64, Golden Eye, Paper Mario and Snowboard Kids 1 & 2. Then, was the PS 2. I enjoyed many different Ratchet and Clank games. It wasn't long after that until I got a Gamecube. I purchased a variety of different games such as, Sonic Adventure 2: Battle, Medal of Honor, and Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life. Then came along the seventh generation of consoles. I acquired a brand new WII and only a few games. WII sports, Super Paper Mario, and Harvest Moon Tree of Tranquility. And in a matter of time, I had a brand new X-Box 360 (which sadly passed away due to red ring; e74) and playing a variety of first-person shooters. And lastly, my PS3. I just got it 2 weeks ago. Along with it, I have inFamous, Call of Duty 4, Saint's Row 2, and Ratchet and Clank Future: A Crack In Time.

 

[Marmal4de]

I have been a gamer ever since I can remember.
It was mostly my grandfather's evil doing, he was a Diablo and Civilization addict at age 70. As he was on a far off land on the other side of the earth (Also know as Australia) he would encourage my dad to buy games and every evening until about age 5 my family and I would play adventure games such as Kings Quest and Discworld together. at around 5 we started playing more action games so it was just me and my dad as my mom and sister were not interested

At around 6 I started my first action game on my own, Alice. afterwards I started discovering all kinds of games on the PC until my grandfather bought me an xbox at age 8 and that was when I became a console gamer. I started out playing lots of platformers and action-adventure games until I played my first FPS- Halo. When I was 13 I bought my 360 and discovered the world of online gaming.

Thats about it, although it seems like a weird hobby for a 16 year old girl gaming has always been a huge part of my life and I still love everything about it

 

[FalloutJack]

This is quite a journey, actually. You see, I'm almost 29, so this goes back a ways. Alright, roll 'em!

*Cue the Indiana Jones music and the red line moving across the map*

In the beginning, there was the Atari 2600, which I took to at a young age because my brothers...who were already into it. I still have a working model and a load of cartridges.

I only knew about NES through other people, never owned anything Nintendo of my own until later. Still, I played and eventually owned a Gameboy. But that was after...

SEGA! A Sega Genesis in the family, with a growing list of games and alot of fun to be had. A golden age and good to be had. I never owned a SNES or a NES, though.

For a long time, there was little change. I let all of Sega's other systems pass me by (that is, until my sister got a Dreamcast), and then I read a strange thing... Sony and Nintendo had been collaborating on a new game system, and then Sony went "Hah hah, we're making this system our own!", creating the Playstation system. Guess what I saved up for?

You have to understand, this was the new leap in technology at the time. Not the Sega CD, 32X, or the Saturn. Sega's only match for the Playstation was Dreamcast and my sister had one, so why did I need one too? (She had excellent taste in games, you see. Skies of Arcadia for the win.)

From there, you can guess where this might be going. Games and systems are rather expensive at this point, so maybe I can't find the time and money to support more than one major system. I'm kinda' sad that the Dreamcast didn't make it to the next level, but with new consoles underway from Sony, Microsoft, and then Nintendo...they got lost in the shuffle.

I decided to pursue the Sony angle, and I am the proud owner of the first, second, and third Playstation consoles, all operational. Aside from that, I do get into some computer games and emulate alot of the old school games that I missed out on. Where does it go from here? That's really up in the air, isn't it?

 

[poppins122325]

my story:

i was first introduced to games at 4 years old, with an old windows 3.1 system and i used to play i think it was snakes and snoos, buckets and funnels and a slot machine kind of game i didnt have a clue what it was but it made a cool noise and all i knew was i needed 3 in a row so i was happy with that

When i was about 5 my cousins introduced me to dos and i used to watch them play games such as "Dangerous Dave 2 in the haunted mansion" and got the crap scared out of me when the slime came the noise it used to give was scary to me at 5 and led to nightmares.

About when i was 6 i got my first gaming system the game boy pocket which still works today with a good few games i have.

in 98 i got a PS1 which still works too and with about 30 games. my cousins were forever playing games and i always got a turn playing whatever they were playing.

my cousins got a new pc so i got there old one in late 98 and i used to play dangerous dave 2 for hours at a time as well as wheel of fortune and hangman.

in 02 we got a new computer in out house with xp and it was all new to me i ended up playing pinball for hours at a time and constantly fighting with my brother for a turn as i got more into computers i got games like sim town and sim farm then went more into Ned for speed underground 1 and hot persuit 2


in 06 i got my first computer all for myself an acer with 32mb graphics in it i didnt play much on it appart from games i had been playing on the other pc untill the warranty ran out and a trip to the pc store was made i got a 6200 256mb card installed and then went into such games as the sims, sim city 4,

over the 4 years singe 06 i build a new pc and more games followed like command and conquer generals and the movies. i also went into sim games specifically the Trainz series

in 08 i went into fps games like swat 4 and war games such as empire earth 2 and world in conflict

09 saw me wove into call of duty 4 and play it for hours and hours at at time, i then got the orange box and played them but i didnt play the hl2 series and now im going back and playing them now.Left for dead another game i could play for hours mw2 came along and ive played that too a fair bit recently

2010
came into this year playing mw2 and have now had to cut back on gaming due to studying for my final year at school.

so thats my story of how i got to where i am now, i have many old consoles which i dust off and bring out and play from time to time and ive played on a lot of consoles over the years

i currently have:
Gameboy Pocket
PS 1
Atari 2600
Wii
gaming pc

I have played on:
Gameboy original
Gameboy Pocket
Gameboy Advance
Gameboy advance SP
Nintindo DS
Nintendo wii
PS1
Xbox
Atari 2600
PC

ive got no plans of stopping gaming but for now i have to ease up for school tho wich is only temporary and ill be back to casual gaming after that

 

[MetaKnight19]

Some of the details are a bit sketchy and I'm mainly counting consoles, not handhelds.

I started my journey in 1994/95 when I got my breeze-block Game Boy. Then a few years later I got a PlayStation. After a few years it broke so we replaced it with the slimmer PlayStation. In June 2001 I got a GameCube for my birthday, however my parents forgot to buy me any games so I had to go and buy them. The next console I bought was the Wii, UK launch day 8th December 2006, I was the envy of my college class. After some pressure I bought a 360 Elite, followed by buying a PS3 Slim on a whim. Between the purchase of the 360 and PS3 for some reason I got into buying old school consoles/peripherals which include

-NES
-Famicom
-SNES
-N64
-Game Boy Color
-iQue
-Virtual Boy, which doesn't work
-Power Glove, its so bad

Spoiler: I just bought this of eBay

This is just a picture found on Google images, and not the actual article. The price, well lets just say it was in the triple figures

 

[Dannyboy1186]

I don't know what age I was(Still at primary School), and I got a PS1 with Crash Bandicoot 2. I bought other games along with it (Most of them where platformers) then I got a gameboy colour (which broke) then a game boy advance since the Pokemon crase was sweeping through the world. The PS2 came out and I discovered RPGs (Final Fantasy 10) then I bought a Gamecube when they where becoming obselete, so I spent most of those years gathering games like Luigi's Mansion off ebay and the like. Finally comes to this generation. I bought the DS for Super Mario 64, then came the Wii which I got more interested into Zelda so I bought all the old Gameboy games I missed out on before hand. Then came the Xbox360 and PS3 of which I learned that the left stick is to move and the right is to aim. It was only the invention of the internet what lead me to look at games what I have never tried and to try them. It also has lead my to this site. *hug escapist*.

I really have no idea how long I have played video games but I know its since I was 6 (17 now).

 

[Darth Caelum]

My first time Playing KOTOR, i still remember all of my choices since, after all, it WAS my first game.
Most of my Values and Morals took a complete Heel Face Turn after playing that game, even more so with the second game.
If any of you wonder WHY? It was because it was my first Game, when i was 8-ish.

 

[wgreer25]

Well, I have been gaming 27 years, yes, I am old...

I started on the Commodore 64 and Atari 2600. I eventually upgraded to an atari 5200 and enjoyed some Frogger and Q-bert. I started PC gaming with and old D&D title, Pool of Radiance along with it's two sequals and the Dragon Lance Trilogy. I obviously got an NES and had all the classics, Zelda, Super Mario Bros/Duck hunt, Metroid, Kid Icarus, Final Fantasy, etc...

I eventually upgraded to the SNES, then to the Playstation (one). From there is was on to the N64 and the new 3D Mario 64 (great game), I also really loved Killer Instinct for N64. By the time the PS2 and Xbox were out I had graduated College and was gainfully employed and able to fuel my gaming habits like never before. I remember some of my early favorites being Oddworld, Gran Turismo 2 (or was it 3?), Resident Evil series, and Devil May Cry. Some of the swan songs for that system (for me) was God of War 2 and Shadow of the Colossus. My Xbox never really saw as much use on a daily basis as the PS2 did, but it did really introduce me to multiplayer with the classic... Halo. I am by no means a fan of the series, but I loved the first one, and remember plenty of fun times with my co-workers. During all this, (I.E. early 1994 to 2004 maybe), I was still a PC gamer, and hit on some of the classics like Baldur's Gate (+ all sequals and expansions), Planescape: Torment, Homeworld, Freespace 1&2, Descent 1,2,&3, Diablo 1&2, Starcraft, AvP (back when they were good), Mechwarrior (Mech anything), Fallout, Neverwinter Nights, and the list goes on...

With the intoduciton of the Xbox 360 and the Next (now current) gen of gaming, I stopped PC gaming as it was painfully obvious that more resources were going to go to the consoles (and looking back, I am glad), so I became a 100% console gamer (except for the classics mentioned above that I may still play from time to time). I got a launch 360 which lasted about 3 years before it RROD, upgraded to an Elite and had the original fixed for free, so I now have two 360's. Around the time Killzone 2 came out, I got a PS3. The dismal failure that was the PS3's launch kept me from buying one until it had a fair number of exclusives that I found interesting. For me, this gen has been all about Multi-player. I started multiplayer with Gears of War and moved on to CoD4 and a little Halo 3, and now it is MW2 and BF:BC2.

I have found that my tastes in gaming has evolved over the years. I use to love RTS, but no so much anymore. I find that if I want to play a role playing game, that I would rather crank up the PC and play one of my oldies that most of the new crap released today. I have become more of a fan of the FPS and over the shoulder shooters (Dead Space is one of my favorite games). I have also gained a love of the action/shooters like Devil May Cry and God of War. I miss the old survival horror games (Dead space was action Horror).

And that is pretty much it. I still have some of my old artifacts from my childhood gaming. I should frame those or something.

 

[The Rascal King]

I started playing games in 1994 at the age of 2, where I have a picture of me playing Super Mario Bros 3 on my dads NES. I nursed myself on games like Shining Force and Earthworm Jim until my kinder years. By 98' I had Ocarina of Time and Mystical Ninja: Starring Goemon and I was the happiest 6 year old on the planet.

In 1999, I had received my special Pokemon Yellow/Blue edition Gameboy Color. Complete with Pokemon Versions Yellow and Blue. For the next two years, you would never see me without my Gameboy in hand

In 2001, my cousin showed me Phantasy Star Online, a game I still hold dear to me today. I was fucking blown away by how much fun that game was. There was nothing else like it and there probably never will be. I remember shedding a tear when they closed the PC Servers for good. Oh how times have changed.

Cut to 2006, I had just bought my hard-earned 360 from stores and I played Saints Row until I couldn't see straight. I had also picked up Warcraft III and fell in love with it.

And now? Shit man, girls find me attractive. I have to take advantage of my good looks while it lasts. While not busy in high school or out about with friends I play my old favorite games listed above. I now mostly play Rainbow 6 Vegas 2, Saints Row 2, and the fucking badass Bad Company 2.