Earliest Gaming Memories

Since I'm in the middle of moving and downsizing, I've been drifting through the memories, and sorting what must go, and I felt like sharing what led me into gaming, and hoping others might share their experiences as well. If this thread is more suited for the Speakeasy, feel free to move it.

I know people tend to go back and take pride in their nostalgia, but I'm not going to falsely claim to have gone all the way back with Atari. For that matter, I never owned a Super Nintendo; but I'll start at the beginning.

I first saw video games when I was about 4 years old. The first game I remember seeing was Super Mario Bros. on the NES at a neighbor's home. I wouldn't actually play a game until 3-4 years later when I was offered to play Super Mario World at a friend's place which sparked an interest in gaming in me. It still depresses me that these same childhood friends mock my continued interest when I met them again years later. A relative later bought me a Sega Genesis and I became interested in the Sonic franchise. At this point I was still too young to call myself a gamer; my interests were still just "want, want, want" rather than looking beyond the box.

 Tangent

I later gave my Genesis to my cousin as a way to hand down the history, but he sold it less than a month later for 20 bucks including the games towards a GBA. Jerk.

During this period, I played a couple educational games on Dos and one particular Windows game later that stood out which was Gizmos and Gadgets. I also was left at daycare centers frequently and got familiar with Donkey Kong Country and Zombies Ate My Neighbors (lolESRB).

The N64 then came out, and I started becoming more serious about buying games with it. Super Mario 64 took a large chunk of my time from me; and my neighbors frequently brought Goldeneye 64 over for some multiplayer (massive floating remote mine abuse).

The turning point for me; when I truly started considering myself a gamer; came with Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX. I had been playing with a friend on the regular Gameboy version in school quite a bit, and remember becoming OCD for the first time digging up the entire island for secret seashells. Once I had bought this game along with my Gameboy Color; I started subscribing to gaming magazines like Nintendo Power, and doing proper research before buying games. I began making specific requests on games for presents and such, and DID pay attention to the ESRB (all this was still prior to me turning 13).

I've moved here and there; lost and gained loyalties; had hopes, and watched them get crushed since then; but this is where I truly started. Even though I've sold my Gameboy Color and the GBA, I've kept Link's Awakening DX as a memento (with box and instructions).

So SP; I ask you: How did you find yourself as a gamer?

2-3 years old, NES came out. Played LoZ, horribly. Honestly, I have more memories of playing LoZ II, because of how hard it was at the time. For some reason, I sucked then at games I'm good at now, but at the same time some of the games I suck at now I was awesome at then. Like LttP, how the hell did I beat that worm in a single try without falling? HOW. I can't manage that for the life of me, currently.

The games I played the most as a kid were BoF I and Lufia II. I'm sure I beat Lufia II half a hundred times start to finish, and I cleared the Ancient Cave at least 50 times. Try that out without savestates and see how it goes. Then again, I was up all night doing each run, usually. Oh man, BoF I though, the main thing I remember about that was being lost in the star puzzle for over 5 hours. SNES PUZZLES WERE HORRIBLE, by the way. Seriously, the Lufia II puzzles...not even the OPTIONAL ones...god, they were horrendous. World's Hardest Puzzle without a guide is like dragging your balls across a rake, repeatedly, for hours and hours.

'Twas Christmas, I went rushing down stairs to open up my gifts. I was 4 years old and already knew what Christmas was about, receiving presents. I entered the living room and saw the TV playing the Super Mario World opening theme. My God, it was magical.

I played it all day long.

Playing street fighter on my dad's computer. This was in India and to have street fighter was awesome. I also had a N64 we had this gun attachment we used. It was soo much fun with this other game. When I came to america. Sega genesis was my life. Playing sonic and some ninja game with my dad. The last game with my dad was this racing game. ATV offroad fury 2.
I guess my most enjoyed games are when I used to play with my dad.

it's all a mesh up of my mom giving me a game boy, playing duck hunt/mario 2-in-one for the NES, and adventure island, but i guess i really got into games with pokemon and mario and the six gold coins for the game boy (stolen game, oh how i miss it, so awesome) somewhere between there and the 64 my bro got old enough to learn how to play, so massive fights over who plays what when, so i felt like a boss when my grandma got ME super mario 64, while our parents got us the 64, and i believe super smash bros (which, to this day, i still play, good times...)

i wish i could fix my old game boy pocket, it was the transparent one.

It all started when I was a wee lad. At the ripe age of of two and a half my dad introduced me to his old Atari 2600. I would obsess over Atlantis for some reason, my love for fixed shooters I suppose. I wouldn't play many other games that he had on it (Pitfall, Air-Sea Battle, Blackjack LULZ) but as I grew up with it I was so intrigued by the fact my dad had an odd amount of Prototype games. I wouldn't play some of them because I know what they were and it felt as though they were sacred.

After that phase, September rolled around and what was in my hands the moment it was released? None other than the best gaming console in the entire realm of our existence. Nintendo sixty-f'ucking-four. My dad had hook-ups so I had any and all games, even the Japanese release games (had connections with TDK for which he managed in the district we lived in for awhile) like Saikyo Habu Shogi (Which was useless cause I was 3 and didn't know what the f'uck I was doing). Ah that was the good stuff. But my all time favorite for the N64? Enter Yoshi's Story in 1997, say goodbye to any social life a 4-5 year old has. I would play that game non-stop, getting excited every time I got the white and black Yoshi or whatever. Too much nostalgia, too much... It still sits on my shelf in perfect working condition too. All my games, and all the Paks it ever came out with. Has my Pokemon snap stickers posted all over it cause that was the cool f'ucking thing to do, get your Pokemon snap shots developed at your local Blockbuster.

That was my break into gaming, ever since I just game with whatever I can/want. Computer, third gen gaming, retro gaming. All of the above.

Playing Super Mario 64. Me and my three friends in the neighborhood that I grew up in would pass the controller after each death. We got all 120 (or was it 150) stars in one day. I was 8.

Getting my first Gameboy and playing Pokemon blue. I remember my birthday at that age, and the bag with the Gameboy in it on the top shelf of the cupboard.

Getting my first N64 with Pokemon Stadium 2 and playing that to no end. I also remember beating Ocarina of Time with my stepbrother.

Constantly playing Crash Bandicoot: Warped on my Dad's PS1.

I miss these days.

It all started with the Super Nintendo and Genesis here, I remember playing California Games(I LOVED the half pipe game) and Super Mario All Stars with some Mortal Kombat. My dad then brought home a PC that ran Windows 95 and I was introduced to good old DOS games(I can't remember the name of this game, it had two robots, one red, the other blue. The red one was sluggish and powerful, the blue one was fast and it used a lightsaber-like blade.) My brothers then got an N64 and PS1 and I didn't frequent outside a lot after that, so much time spent on Mario 64, Twisted Metal, and Bloody Roar. Later got a Dreamcast and enjoyed the hell out of Sonic Adventure. That was my childhood up until about 3rd grade.

Commodore 64. Yes... I am old enough to actually remember games on tapes.

Has my Pokemon snap stickers posted all over it cause that was the cool f'ucking thing to do, get your Pokemon snap shots developed at your local Blockbuster.

I remember this. As I was packing some stuff from my drawers, I found my old Pokemon card binder. I customized the hell out of the thing with Snap photos, taped on each booster pack type, and made the instruction manual into a fold-out add-on to the binder. I really was into Pokemon during it's time. I just got tired of it after 6 installments (including parallel releases).

'Twas Christmas, I went rushing down stairs to open up my gifts. I was 4 years old and already knew what Christmas was about, receiving presents. I entered the living room and saw the TV playing the Super Mario World opening theme. My God, it was magical.

I played it all day long.

While I wouldn't say I was a gamer right after SMW; it was still very influential to me as the first one I played. I'm not sure how I did it at that age, but I remember fondly the special world and all the warps. Playing it there with friends (female platonic) was one of my fondest memories.

and Super Mario All Stars ...

Oh, right, this was another one I played at those day care centers. About that same time I learned of shortcuts hidden stuff. Still something I consider valuable in my games to this day.

Moving forward from my initial post, I went on to play the RARE gems on the N64; saw a slowdown on the Cube and jumped to Sony for the RPG route. From there I discovered emulators and played back the old games and gems for the first time understanding them more and appreciating them. Fast forward to today and I don't pirate anymore, buying back the games I DL'd in the past, trying to help the market that has become key to my lifestyle.

Glad to see people here with a history all their own. Please continue.

Probably playing Super Mario Bros. on the NES and being too scared to get past the first Goomba. (I had to have been 4 or something.)

But eventually I overcame that obstacle and never actually beat the game until years later.

Probly playing/watching my mom play sonic the hedgehog and rayman the great escape on the dreamcast when i was about 4. We had alotta games for that. i remember playign jet set radio and would try to play the non freeplay and would get scurred when the police came.

I was around 4 years old and had been at the local youth center while my parents were at work. That particular day, the center decided we were responsible enough to use the playstation there. I had never seen a console at this point (or, I don't remember prior to that) as was excited as hell. First game I ever played was Megaman X4, and it was magical. My friends and I always fought over who we would play as, me fighting for Zero, and the other two wanting to play X. I seldom won, and had to watch them struggle on the first few stages. When I finally got to play Zero, I proceeded to sweep up 3 bosses. I was so engrossed that I didn't notice my parents sitting next to me for 10 minutes. I think I gushed about that game for a year straight...

-Playing games on my dad's original Gameboy.
-Playing Sonic the Hedgehog on Sega Genesis.
-Playing Vectorman on Sega Genesis.
-Playing Super Mario on SNES at my cousin's house (my family never owned an NES or SNES. :<).
-Playing Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask, Super Smash Bros., Super Mario 64, Donkey Kong 64, and Banjo Kazooie on Nintendo 64.
-Playing Pokemon on Gameboy Color.
-Playing Four Swords with my friend every day when we used to live in the same neighborhood.


Ah, the 90s were great (minus the N64 games that were released after 2000 and Four Swords).

I had a NES and a SNES later, also a GBC.
Earliest gaming memories are of my grandma playing duckhunt (she loved it) and the other one is really funny actually, I was playing Mario bros with my mom and she was really bad at it, so she was going through a level and grabbed a star and I said "Run mom you can't die like that", so she ran, and jumped into lava, and died and I said "Why'd you do that?!" "You said I couldn't die" "Well you're obviously going to die if you jump into lava!"... To me it seemed so obvious, in my young mind jumping into lava was completely stupid, but she didn't know games and she thought she was invincible.

Ghostbusters on the NES with my dad. pineapple yeah! I was a toddler, though I remember it well. I wasn't really playing.

Earliest memories of actually playing would be teenage mutant ninja turtles games on the NES. My dad and I would pass the controller back and forth each time we died while my siblings were at school. Those games were hard as pomegranate. Especially TMNT2 with the overhead world map and side scrolling maps. pomegranate was tough.

Ghostbusters on the NES with my dad. pineapple yeah! I was a toddler, though I remember it well. I wasn't really playing.

Earliest memories of actually playing would be teenage mutant ninja turtles games on the NES. My dad and I would pass the controller back and forth each time we died while my siblings were at school. Those games were hard as pomegranate. Especially TMNT2 with the overhead world map and side scrolling maps. pomegranate was tough.

I remember that game! TMNT on NES, I would go over to my friend's house after school and we would fail at it because it was so difficult.

My earliest gaming memory would probably be just playing our SNES. We have this Super Mario All Stars which had like all the old NES Marios on it, also Super Mario World and the Donkey Kong Country trio. SNES is still my favourite console because of the great games I grew up with.

Probably playing Super Mario Bros. on the NES and being too scared to get past the first Goomba. (I had to have been 4 or something.)

But eventually I overcame that obstacle and never actually beat the game until years later.

You're not alone in fear. I was spooked off of LoZ: Ocarina of Time the first time I rented it when I first encountered ReDeads in the Castle Town. Few years later I bought it and thought little of it.

EDIT: As we speak my Dad just found an XBox a friend gave him in his boxes and handed it over to me. Now the owner of an original XBox.

Super Mario World.