A lot of people would generally look at gamers and think to themselves that we are just a bunch of nerds that have really no social life, no girlfriends, fat, socially awkward and even to a more offensive degree, a loser. Though I believe stereotypes are terribly wrong and unjust, I am also aware of the fact that these types of generalizations are often based on solid facts. And I'm not gonna deny that in many cases, these stereotypes actually do apply. And it's disappointing when they do. But it is life and life can be unfair and cruel at times. Not that I look down upon those who are, by people's standards, losers. I do believe in equality, to a certain extent, and the freedom to live your life the way you want to. The way you're happy with, without hurting those around you. But of course, we wouldn't want to be labeled as any of those aforementioned titles, at all. It would be nice to someday receive that level of acceptance in regards to gamers around the world. But I do understand that it is inevitable and will most likely remain for a much longer period.
(I owned this console, thanks to my mom!)
I remember my mom to be the one who actually introduced me to video games. Which is something she probably regrets now. Haha. But I am thankful that she did the things she has done back then. And it led to many great things in my life. All thanks to her allowing me to experience gaming at such an early age.
Famicom and SNES were around at the time. I mainly played the classic Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Contra games. They were amazing to me back then and up to this day, I still hold those games in high regard. Though, I wanted a SNES so bad when I was a kid. I didn't really get one. But I did own a Family Computer and the Super Famicom consoles. It wasn't such a bad thing not getting what I really wanted. But at least, I was blessed enough to try out the other ones. And it was still amazing. Very thankful for that.
But yeah, Contra and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were the games that really got me into playing. It was just ground breaking for me to be able to play as my favorite TMNT or be like Rambo in Contra. In fact, I didn't even know it was called Contra until later on. I've always called it Rambo until I realized it wasn't really its official title. Silly, I know. But that's the truth.
(Contra. I got to shoot baddies and it was totally fine.)
I essentially got introduced to gaming because of my mother's situation as a single parent. She would be working a lot and I'd be left with other people to look after me. And when she was there, she'd be busy shopping for us and doing errands that one of her option was to sort of leave me in a gaming place and pay for the time there as I play and wait for her to come back. Looking back now, it was kinda wrong for her to leave me in the hands of complete strangers! But it helped pave the way to my passion in video games and despite the dangerous nature of how I was brought up to enjoy gaming, I'm very much thankful for it and I wouldn't change a thing even if I was given that chance. It sucked though coz sometimes, I'd be put as a second player alongside some other kid who already chose Leonardo! I want to play as Leonardo! I liked swords back then and I love swords up to now! It bummed me to play as any other of the turtles.
When I finally got my console. It was a dream come true. I had a bunch of games like Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat, Duck Hunt, Galaga, Pacman, Battle Tank, etc. I can't even remember some of the games I had. But I had quite a handful of them. And even cartridges that have tons of games in them. Wish I still had those. Though sadly, I never owned the TMNT game. I didn't own the Contra game either. But I have played them quite a bit for some time and they stuck to me as a foundation towards building the passion for video games. Popeye games, Bomberman and the Super Mario games also played roles on my early gaming experiences that led to enjoying Arcade games more. Then ultimately, getting into Playstation games.
(The classic. I can still play this today and be very happy.)
In a way, I also see video games as an important part of my childhood. After all, I had no brothers, no sisters. And the time I spent not being in school or in the streets playing with other kids, I mostly spent playing video games. Either with my cousins or uncles. They did enjoy the luxury I had owning such a machine. And I was more than happy to share it with them. It was a lot of fun and I wish I could relieve those days. I feel like video games also helped me go through harder times during recent events, stay out of potential trouble I could've gotten myself into and even explore the world and find love. It is undeniable to me what video games have done to my life in general. I'm sure that a lot of people can relate to this notion and perhaps have even more compelling experiences compared to mine. It's just funny how such a hobby that is generally frowned upon by some people actually help shape and improve people's lives. But of course, in some cases, it could be very detrimental. I understand that, and very much aware of it.
No comments:
Post a Comment