The more I talk to my nongamer friends about their past gaming experiences, the more I realize that there were circumstances in play that led me to be addicted to videogames.
For them they never found that hook that would keep them gaming for all the years to come, but for me there were many. So I sat there and thought about the things that have kept a controller in my hands since 1988 when parents bought me a NES. Here are just ten of the things that have kept me addicted for so long.
1. Super Mario Bros./ Duck Hunt- Mushroom Men, Killer Turtles, a light gun, and that damn snickering dog was more than enough to keep my 6 year old mind swirling for months after I popped that pack-in cart into my console.
2. Weekends renting seemingly impossible-to-beat games for the NES- Battletoads, Bart vs. Whatever, and even the original Zelda were way too much for me to muster up the patience to finish them as a kid, but they kept me coming back for multiple rentals.
3. My first competitive game, Street Fighter II- I’d angered my little brother so much by spamming him with fireballs that he reach over and socked me in the head. I wasn’t even angry because his reaction was priceless.
4. Macho power fantasies that would get you locked up or buried in real life- The first time I chainsawed a dude in half in Gears of War I felt like my nuts dropped a little lower.
5. The analog stick and Super Mario 64- Playing this game at Toys R Us for the first time made me believe that anything was technologically possible.
6. The Dreamcast- You died before your time my old friend.
7. Blowing up Halos and shooting friends in the face- When the original Halo came out all of my friends and I put our money together to buy four controllers. I had never experienced the camaraderie involved in coming up with the money for those controllers. Putting those controllers to use for our Halo competition was even better.
8. My son- His fascination with this hobby makes me feels like a kid again. Even at six he loves to shoot the shit about upcoming games, and things that we play together. I could never have imagined how close video games would bring us together.
9. Downloadable games/ content- Even growing up I dreamed of a day where I could get extra levels and things way after I finished a game. Many people complain about companies nickel & diming us this generation with DLC. I think that it’s the greatest thing to happen to gaming since they put analog sticks on controllers.
10. The Community- The community has grown with the internet, and online gaming. It’s such a pleasure to have friends all around the world. It’s even more of a joy that I can play with them.
So there you have it. There are more things that have kept me playing, but those are just ten things that have kept me hooked. There will be more things to come that’ll feed into my addiction, and I can’t wait.