So Why Video Games?

While Music is my first love and was my first friend (more on that in another post), video games have always been a part of my life. I'm a child of the '80s so I grew up with the Atari, Nintendo, and of course the arcade. I remember the daycare center I attended when I was 8 had a gaming room, which consisted of one Atari and only two games: Pac Man and Donkey Kong. I was too old for naps so the teachers let us older kids go into that room during nap time and play the hell out of those games. A couple of the younger teachers would even sit with us and play.

By the time I was about 11 (1989) we got our first Nintendo. I had a blast playing with my younger brother even though he often beat me to level 8 of Super Mario Brothers (he found a shortcut and wouldn't tell me) and practicing my shooting skills in Duck Hunt. I wasn't that good, haha!

Many years passed between Nintendo and Nintendo 64. I was 21 and living with roommates who had one. My favorite game then was 007 Goldeneye. That was a fun one. Then I stopped. I moved out, was busy dating (should have stayed home and played games) and well, things were happening.

It wasn't until I met my ex-husband that I slowly started getting into games again. He is a big-time gamer and back then he played Quake. I played little games on pc like Disney Mah Jong and Solitaire. Having an infant didn't leave me a lot of time to concentrate on games.

Eventually, though, I found myself playing Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines. I was obsessed with that game! Vampires are my thing! Vampires, werewolves, ghosts... I love that stuff and Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines made me feel right at home. I was also going through a lot back then. I had a mental illness and didn't know it. I always felt like a freak, an outsider. What better game to play than a vampire game!

A year later ( or two, can't remember), I met a new game. One that took me in a very different direction and inspired me in more ways than I ever imagined. Mass Effect! I will dedicate a whole post to this game in a later entry but just know, the Mass Effect series is my all-time favorite game! The second favorite is the Dragon Age series.

Let's move forward to now though. This is why I'm here and why I'm writing about this topic. Gaming has become a way of dealing. Dealing with life but more importantly, dealing with my mental health. Now, I won't lie. There are a number of things that contribute to my mental health and my inspirations. Gaming just so happens to be one of them.

How about you? How has gaming played a part in your life?

Thanks so much for reading!