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Baby's First Video Game
In the community of video game enthusiasts, the first game you ever play can be seen as a point of pride. It brings up a strong sense of nostalgia and, for some, reminds us of an accomplishment.
Maybe you remember a specific feeling that game gave you. Maybe it reminds you of simpler times, where the only thing stressing you out was whether your crush liked you back.
In many ways, video games are a link to our past. There are games that bring me back to a specific place, make me remember a specific smell, feel certain things.
Everyone has games that make us remember specific places. I remember the house I grew up in, specifically the living room, in vivid detail because of the games we would all play as a family. There are hours of my childhood spent with my parents and sibling, Faun, playing through Lego Rockband together. My mom on drums, dad on guitar, and Faun and I swapping between vocals and keytar (yes, keytar). I learned so many good songs that way and my family bonded over the artists we listened to. (Vampire Weekend, David Bowie, The Police, Blur, and Korn to name a few) When a song plays that I initially heard in Lego Rockband comes on the radio, I’m instantly transported back in time. Every time the flutes start in “A-Punk” I remember my dad’s reaction as he realized the buttons he pushed were the flutes in the song. It was just a joyful, happy, and enthusiastic experience of music.
I remember when Minecraft first came to the Xbox 360 and my family all played in 4-player split screen. We were dedicated to that little Minecraft world. Building pyramids, tree houses, and world crossing minecart tracks. Finding our first stronghold, fighting an ender dragon, beating an ender dragon. All of this was played in our living room, Faun and I sitting cross legged on the floor while mom and dad were reclining on the couch. It was cozy, it was fun, and it’s still one of my favorite things to look back on.
Video games weren’t exclusively experiences I had with my family. I’d visit my best friend’s house, and we’d lie on her bedroom floor playing Animal Crossing: Wild World on the Nintendo DS. I remember I had written an embarrassing letter to Wart Jr, with the intention of getting him to move out of my town by bullying him via mail and learning the hard way that when villagers move-they bring their letters with them. I still remember the mortification when my friend showed me the proof of my cyber bullying directed at a digital frog, who, despite being totally ugly, really didn’t deserve that letter.
DS games were a wild ride, I remember the absolutely terrifying The Sims 2 experience and learning what the hell a cult even was. I remember feeling like a fashionista playing Bratz Forever Diamondz and Style Savvy. Becoming a chef in Cooking Mama. I could go into more DS games, but that’s not what I’m here for.
Besides remembering sounds or feelings or places, I even have games that remind me of tastes. It sounds weird but stick with me here. I fought, tooth and nail, to get to the top of the mountain in Celeste and while I did, I drank an unreasonable number of strawberry smoothies. And now, if I see Celeste I think of strawberry smoothies and vice versa. I can’t have a strawberry smoothie without remembering the feeling I had when I got to the top of that icy peak. I felt like a hero, like I’d truly climbed a massive mountain.
In high school, I played Smite with some friends late into the night and as a snack, I’d regularly eat pineapple rings straight from the can. Again, I now associate Smite with the tangy pineapple flavor, and I can’t help but think the same vice versa.
Like Smite, I had many games that connected me to people over long distances. I’d become obsessed with Overwatch, especially in its prime, and would stay up all through the night playing. I learned how rewarding it could be to interact with so many unique people, and how easily it could be twisted by hateful people in the world who didn’t think girls could play those kinds of games.
But I wouldn’t take back any of the time I spent in those online spaces. They helped shape who I am today. And those initial experiences in online spaces led me to find my husband.
All of this to say, I love video games. I love the feelings they can give us. I love the things that stay with us because of them. And I don’t think I’ll ever stop consuming the medium.