My school had BBC Micro computers and we were allowed to play games on it if we finished our work early. I don't even recall what games I played other then some space exploration text adventure thing but that started my interest. I wanted a computer at home and eventually we got an Atari STFM which came with a huge pack of 30+ games and I was hooked. My early time on the system was spent playing a lot of Bomb Jack, Eliminator and Space Harrier.
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How did you get into videogames?
- Thread starter cordy
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Imbarkus
As Sartre noted in his contemplation on Hell in No Exit, the true horror is other members.
I played Space Invaders for hours some time when my mom worked in a bar and couldn't find day care.
My grandparents were into the various pong TV variants. I was an Atari 2600 user and an Atari Fan Club member.
Later, I babysat for a family that had a C64 with a lot of Epyx games. I copied a lot of them (piracy admitted!) and launched a long-term campaign on my parents to get a computer.
My grandparents were into the various pong TV variants. I was an Atari 2600 user and an Atari Fan Club member.
Later, I babysat for a family that had a C64 with a lot of Epyx games. I copied a lot of them (piracy admitted!) and launched a long-term campaign on my parents to get a computer.
Cracklox
Member
That would be my older bro mostly. I was pretty in to sports and doing outside stuff as a kid, but my bro was always inside playing games going back to c64 and Amiga days. Given I grew up in a pretty cold and rainy part of the world you sort of needed an indoor hobby as well anyway
Uncle bought me a SNES and the rest is history.
marcincz
Member
In 1985 my dad bought Atari 65XE in a shop. Behind the iron curtain (I live in Poland) we have special shops called Pewex, which has many luxury items from the West, like Lego, VHS, candies, etc.Of course other shops haven't got this things and you need to have American Dollars to buy in Pewex. Besides other currencies, than Polish Zloty was forbidden in this time in Poland. Our Soviet "friends" keep a tight rein on us.
D
Deleted member 125677
Unconfirmed Member
My best friend's older brother had a Commodore 64
SOLD
SOLD
My cousin had a pc with Elifoot, Doom and Fifa 96(4?) that I liked to play with and my next door neighboor had a MegaDrive with Sonic, so I got my aunt to buy me a Famiclone.
Then my neighboor got a PS1 and I absolutely wanted that, so eventually when it was cheaper and I was around 8 (1999~) I got one and went from there.
I'd say that the game that really made me love games was Finql Fantasy IX, though at the timre my first ps1 game was Tekken 3, which I had already played 2 in my neighboor's house.
Then my neighboor got a PS1 and I absolutely wanted that, so eventually when it was cheaper and I was around 8 (1999~) I got one and went from there.
I'd say that the game that really made me love games was Finql Fantasy IX, though at the timre my first ps1 game was Tekken 3, which I had already played 2 in my neighboor's house.
zswordsman
Member
This is me. Well he bought a SNES and he lived with us at the time, so I would spend my time playing super Mario World, which I loved.
However then my aunt broke the SNES and I was real sad. Eventually my uncle bought me a PS1 not long after that happened and it was pretty much a done deal, gamer for life now.
OverturePT
Member
My parents bought my sister a ZX Spectrum. Played Rainbow Islands and Bruce Lee to death.
Shortly after, I got my NES and and my neighbour got a Sega Master System. That's how it all started.
Shortly after, I got my NES and and my neighbour got a Sega Master System. That's how it all started.
Icyflamez96
Member
born into it, molded by it, etc
i can't even remember
Christmas 1997, I had turned 5 in November and my father wanted to get me more than a traditional toy, so he looked into the latest, coolest electronic devices.
Turns out he picked the PlayStation, and a random game that had kid friendly art, with no advice whatsoever.
That was Crash Bandicoot 2 (oh boy 6 days to go until the remake. Almost 20 years later for me). Well played, dad!
So that day I unwrapped two gifts, a big box thing with a PlayThingy, and a FUCKING AWESOME TINTIN PLUSHIE. Omg Tintin omg so cool.
They told me that as soon as they plugged it in and started fooling around with the controller, moving Crash, I stopped playing with Tintin and my eyes couldn't leave the TV. They also said that during those first few weeks I'd often play standing up and every time Crash jumped, so did I.
Safe to say that I was mesmerized. With other games like Hercules or Lucky Luke later on, I'd relive my favorite animated movies and comics, so again, sweet choices for a kid, dad!
A friend also had a PS1, we shared games and played multiplayer, the rest is history.
Hell before the PS2 was released I'd already played on an uncle's Atari 2600 and cousin's NES without a clue about what retro gaming meant, it was just a big blur of games to me, no generation distinction. Helped me be very curious about it all.
Turns out he picked the PlayStation, and a random game that had kid friendly art, with no advice whatsoever.
That was Crash Bandicoot 2 (oh boy 6 days to go until the remake. Almost 20 years later for me). Well played, dad!
So that day I unwrapped two gifts, a big box thing with a PlayThingy, and a FUCKING AWESOME TINTIN PLUSHIE. Omg Tintin omg so cool.
They told me that as soon as they plugged it in and started fooling around with the controller, moving Crash, I stopped playing with Tintin and my eyes couldn't leave the TV. They also said that during those first few weeks I'd often play standing up and every time Crash jumped, so did I.
Safe to say that I was mesmerized. With other games like Hercules or Lucky Luke later on, I'd relive my favorite animated movies and comics, so again, sweet choices for a kid, dad!
A friend also had a PS1, we shared games and played multiplayer, the rest is history.
Hell before the PS2 was released I'd already played on an uncle's Atari 2600 and cousin's NES without a clue about what retro gaming meant, it was just a big blur of games to me, no generation distinction. Helped me be very curious about it all.
My mom and I would travel back and forth cross country a lot when I was 3 or 4, so I took an interest in the rentable N64s and SNES in hotels like the Holiday Inn. I was racking up such a bill so quickly that I soon got my own 64 with a bunch of great games from a hobby shop! Soon after I got a GBA for Christmas to fill my time on roadtrips.
Pancakes R Us
Member
Received a SNES with Street Fighter 2 in the early 90s. The rest is history.
I actually don't play that much anymore, but I'm hooked to the industry.
I actually don't play that much anymore, but I'm hooked to the industry.
My neighbours sister had an SNES. I didn't really have a concept of what videogames were back then (only ever saw some on TV but I guess I didn't really "got" them), just watched her play Mario World and F-Zero for a bit, asked if I could play and had my mind blown.
A few months later, I had my mind blown the second time, when I saw (and played) Mario 64.
Fast forward some weeks and I'm knee-deep in the Pokémon craze, catching 'em all and playing Tetris all the time on my Gameboy.
A few months later, I had my mind blown the second time, when I saw (and played) Mario 64.
Fast forward some weeks and I'm knee-deep in the Pokémon craze, catching 'em all and playing Tetris all the time on my Gameboy.
DrunkShogun
Member
Brother is 2 year older than me and always remember having a console around with the genesis being the first one. Remember street of rage and golden axe. Parents have never touched a video game so brother probably fought a good fight to convince them.
1991, age 5.
I regularly hung out with the neighbour's kid. One day, his older brother shooed us from the TV in order to connect a strange device that turned out to be the Sega Master System II. This was the very first contact and to this day I vividly remember being fascinated by Alex Kidd.
I got the Master System for christmas that year and that was the start of a lifelong addiction. Interestingly, my parents had already bought an Atari 2600 as a present before I even knew video games existed. This was shortly after the German reunification and since there had been nothing like that in East Germany, the 2600 was pretty popular at the time around here. Well, they realised how outdated it was in comparison to the Master System and got me that instead.
I regularly hung out with the neighbour's kid. One day, his older brother shooed us from the TV in order to connect a strange device that turned out to be the Sega Master System II. This was the very first contact and to this day I vividly remember being fascinated by Alex Kidd.
I got the Master System for christmas that year and that was the start of a lifelong addiction. Interestingly, my parents had already bought an Atari 2600 as a present before I even knew video games existed. This was shortly after the German reunification and since there had been nothing like that in East Germany, the 2600 was pretty popular at the time around here. Well, they realised how outdated it was in comparison to the Master System and got me that instead.
Sportbilly
Member
First experience was probably a Pong-like machine my uncle got in the late '70s. My younger brother then had an Atari 2600 and I used to play various games like Defender and Galaxians in arcades (we lived in a seaside resort). Things really clicked when my uncle got an Atari 800 in 1982, the games on that blew my mind. I got an 800XL myself in 1984 and was well and truly hooked.
My mom owned a small pub so I basically grew up in one.
My first memory is actually playing a black & white Space Invaders cabinet with cellophane overlay to create colours. I must have been 3 at the time.
Every couple of months the arcade board would be swapped out with another one and so I got to play tons of classic arcade games all the time growing up.
No wonder my favourite type of game still remains arcade style ones.
Went from Space Invaders to Asteroids, Galaga, Galaxian, Gaplus, Burgertime, Blaster, Circus Charly, Roc 'N Rope, Elevator Action!, Wonderboy, Time Pilot, Gyruss, Track and Field, Pacman, Xevious, Elevator Action, 1942, Rush N Attack, Gun.Smoke, Commando, Kung Fu, and the list goes on and on.
A couple years later, my sister, who is 8 years older than me, got a Microvision.
Which I played a ton more than her.
It wasn't till I was 8 years old that I got my very first system of my own, a Popeye Game & Watch.
Then finally, somewhere in 1987 I got this little beauty and I've played and owned pretty much every console since.
My first memory is actually playing a black & white Space Invaders cabinet with cellophane overlay to create colours. I must have been 3 at the time.
Every couple of months the arcade board would be swapped out with another one and so I got to play tons of classic arcade games all the time growing up.
No wonder my favourite type of game still remains arcade style ones.
Went from Space Invaders to Asteroids, Galaga, Galaxian, Gaplus, Burgertime, Blaster, Circus Charly, Roc 'N Rope, Elevator Action!, Wonderboy, Time Pilot, Gyruss, Track and Field, Pacman, Xevious, Elevator Action, 1942, Rush N Attack, Gun.Smoke, Commando, Kung Fu, and the list goes on and on.
A couple years later, my sister, who is 8 years older than me, got a Microvision.
Which I played a ton more than her.
It wasn't till I was 8 years old that I got my very first system of my own, a Popeye Game & Watch.
Then finally, somewhere in 1987 I got this little beauty and I've played and owned pretty much every console since.
polyh3dron
Banned
The Pong and Atari 2600 games I'd seen at friends' houses were cool and all, but nothing that made me NEED to have a game console at home. But when I witnessed Super Mario Bros at another friend's house, I was so hooked. That game captured my imagination like nothing before it.I
John Kowalski
Banned
Had no friends and games were cool
DukeLongfellow
Member
I am pretty sure I had some sort of weird console when I was very little. It was called "Sega Mega" but it had a ton of preinstalled Nintendo games. Me and friends mostly played Super Mario, some tanks game and something called "The Goonies".
But while this thing was fun, what probably propelled me was my mom taking me to a "Playstation Arcade" when I was about 8 or 9. I was a huge fan of Disney's Hercules when I was young so naturally I asked if they have a Hercules game.
The second I got this thing in my hands I had the biggest fucking smile you've ever seen on a child. I stayed in that arcade for 2 hours and despite not being able to defeat the centaur I had an insane amount of fun.
Some months later I got my own Playstation with Hercules, Tarzan, Tekken 3 and a Need for Speed game. The rest is history.
But while this thing was fun, what probably propelled me was my mom taking me to a "Playstation Arcade" when I was about 8 or 9. I was a huge fan of Disney's Hercules when I was young so naturally I asked if they have a Hercules game.
The second I got this thing in my hands I had the biggest fucking smile you've ever seen on a child. I stayed in that arcade for 2 hours and despite not being able to defeat the centaur I had an insane amount of fun.
Some months later I got my own Playstation with Hercules, Tarzan, Tekken 3 and a Need for Speed game. The rest is history.
forknknife
Banned
My father bought an Amstrad CPC 6128 which I enjoyed plenty but games still sucked.
Then I went to the house of a friend who had a matter system and I was like "whsaat the fuuuuck"
Then I bought a mega drive.
Then I went to the house of a friend who had a matter system and I was like "whsaat the fuuuuck"
Then I bought a mega drive.
Some of my earliest memories are Atari games and arcade games.
But I really chose to into videogames when my family was part of an indoor cricket league and part of the complex had arcade games when I was around 7 or 8. I was given a dollar or two (20 cents a game) and I would always play Cabal, Operation Wolf, Shadow Warriors/Ninja Gaiden and Double Dragon.
I then got a C64 and it became my primary hobby.
But I really chose to into videogames when my family was part of an indoor cricket league and part of the complex had arcade games when I was around 7 or 8. I was given a dollar or two (20 cents a game) and I would always play Cabal, Operation Wolf, Shadow Warriors/Ninja Gaiden and Double Dragon.
I then got a C64 and it became my primary hobby.
Enter The 36 Chambers
Member
Super Mario Bros 3 on nes
texhnolyze
Banned
My father had a computer with Age of Empires installed..
Thanks, father.
Thanks, father.
Bootador83
Member
I played Alice In Wonderland non stop on an arcade on holiday once, and then my grandad bought me an intellivision.
Stilton Disco
Member
Started off being taught how to play games from about 2YO with my older brothers on their ZX Spectrum and Commodore 64.
Got a NES for my 4th Birthday in 88, which was the first system that was specifically my own, though.
Got a NES for my 4th Birthday in 88, which was the first system that was specifically my own, though.
Durrzerker
Banned
4 years old, my first game was that godawful Back to the Future NES game. Even when I was four it kinda sucked.
I played a few NES games, but my real awakening came at 8 years old. We went to the Browser Game Center near our house to buy Magic: The Gathering cards and they had 'rent-by-hour' computers there. Starcraft and Unreal Tournament had just come out. Fell in love with both. That's when I started getting serious about gaming.
I played a few NES games, but my real awakening came at 8 years old. We went to the Browser Game Center near our house to buy Magic: The Gathering cards and they had 'rent-by-hour' computers there. Starcraft and Unreal Tournament had just come out. Fell in love with both. That's when I started getting serious about gaming.