HollyEvery quest leads to a journey, and that journey leads to where you are. We all started somewhere, so where did yours begin? Are you strictly console, PC, or both? Did you grow up gaming, or did you start the journey later? We all have a tale but are you sharing yours? Here’s mine…
Journey Began
At a very young age, I remember playing on the Atari some but mostly played Super Mario on the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). I have special memories gaming with my older brother while he showed me the ropes. One game that irked my nerves was Duck Hunt. If you ever played it, admit it, you also tried to shoot the dog laughing at you.
Another set up I remember was this computer game system that we played often at my grandparents house known as the Tandy Color Computer 3. It’s now considered vintage today but it was a fun pass time back then. One game you had to jump over goats and climb ladders to reach the next level. Our gaming back then was a console sitting in the floor, connected to our television that was on an old stand. You’d see cords stretched from all that across the living room floor.
Journey Continues
As I got older, I played other consoles at friend’s house or relatives like a Sega Genesis or even Playstation. When I was a teen, I got a Gameboy color and the N64. I’d play them a lot when I wasn’t helping with chores or schoolwork. For the N64, I had the classic Mario games including Mario Kart. I also had Diddy Kong Racing, Yoshi and many others. I played so much Mario Kart that at the time I could race one handed and beat anyone that challenged me. Plus games were the main event of most parties back then. They consisted of junk food, snacks, sodas, and gaming.
During my teen years, I also got myself a Playstation. One of my first games for it was Spyro which is another great classic as well. If you don’t know this game, it’s about a young dragon that must unlock statued dragons and collect all the gems to reach the final level to defeat the main enemy. I also gained interest of another classic Playstation game called Crash Bandicoot. It became one of my favorite games to kick back with.
As I got into my 20s, I got myself a Wii with many games including the classic Mario and guitar hero. It came with a Wii sports game so when friends or cousins would come over, we’d play that game and battle different sports like tennis or bowling. At the time, the Wii stood out from other consoles with its narrow controller design. With Guitar Hero, you got this guitar like thing with colored buttons and the Wii controller slid into the guitar itself so it became the controller. That game was the rave for the longest.
Adult Gaming
When I reached my 30s, I didn’t do as much gaming due to life and other things taking priority. I did keep my current consoles hooked up just incase I ever had the desire to play again. I occasionally played with my son when he wanted me to. We’d either race or play Minecraft on his Xbox. It wasn’t until about 2023 when I got back into gaming but this time with a different console and that was the Nintendo Switch. The first games I had to grab for it was a Mario game, Spyro, and Bandicoot. From there it spiraled due to inspired by other gamers.
I escalated my collection until I became hooked on the cozy style games like Zelda, Palia, Stardew Valley, and Dreamlight Valley. My younger son started to gain interest in gaming, so I started him out on my N64 with Mario Kart. When I eventually let him play on my Switch, it was all over after that as he was hooked. Since then, he’s been growing his own collection of Mario games, racing games, and of course Minecraft.
Gamer Journey Concludes
Reflecting on the journey that got me to where I am now, I realize how much has changed. My set up has changed and my usual style of games has expanded. Although, I do work full time and pursue a degree on top of being a mom, I still manage to make time for gaming as a way to decompress and escape from everyday demands. What I choose to play always depends on my mood or if I’ve started quests on a game that I desire to complete. Sometimes I’ll hook up my son’s controller and we’ll race one of many games he enjoys like Driven to Win or Cruisn’ Blast.
However gaming is done, it’s all about kicking back and having fun. I love being able to game from either my monitor or go handheld with a cozy blanket in a comfy spot. The Switch is my favorite console so far as it serves its purpose when I need a cozy outlet to escape into a beautiful fantasy world. Everyone has their preference on gaming styles, but let’s face it as we all can agree games allow us to escape in a world of our choosing and that’s the best part. Enjoy what works for you, but after a long and stressful day there’s just something about a good cozy place to retreat to.
