Your Earliest Game Memories

[EJLD1976]

This is an all-purpose thread to share your earliest exposure to computer and video games---whether they be you playing your first game, or witnessing a family member playing a game, or something else. I'll start.

I was born during the heyday of one of the best-known consoles of all-time: the NES. At the age of 1-1/2 or 2, I was intrigued on what this little grey box could do when I watched my older cousins playing it. It's plugged into the TV, and produces images and sounds not heard in real life.

There's this little man (Mario) near the bottom of the screen. Pressing the red button with the letter "A" next to it makes him jump. Pressing left or right on the big plus-shaped button makes him move in that direction. Pressing down makes him crouch. Holding the red button with the letter "B" next to it makes him move faster. Hitting the rubber "Start" button pauses the game, s you can rest if you have to.

But there's more! There are some bad guys which, if touched, cause you to "die." But, if you have more lives left, you can try again. Thankfully, jumping on the enemies can defeat them. If you collect 100 coins, you get an extra life. A mushroom allows you to grow in size and break blocks, but if you are touched by an enemy, you lose these powers. If you pick up a flower, you change colours and can now throw fireballs by hitting the "B" button. Collect a star and you are invincible for a short time---nothing can harm you and any enemies you touch are instantly defeated. But watch out for bottomless pits---fall into one and you die. There is also a timer---get to the end of the level before the clock runs out or you die! This makes the game challenging but fun!

Now, over 20 years later, games have improved, and for the better! But I still won't forget my first encounter with the good old NES!

[nlw]

I remember playing Sonic the Hedgehog 2 on the Sega with my brother when we were younger. ^___^ Good times, good times. Gettin' those rings, catchin' those dang Chaos Emeralds, and kickin' some good ol' RoBUTTnik butt!

[numbuh712]

The NES, definitely! ^^ I'm 20 years old and I have an older brother and sister, so I was practically born into it I loved playing Mario Bros. I think I can still remember where the hidden "1UPs" are I also loved playing the Simpsons game and the TMNT Game. Good times!

And additionall on that game, there was the game "Duck Hunt". You were able to insert some futuristic laser-gun into the NES and then you had to shoot the ducks X) And there was this dog that appeared on the screen, who always made fun of you when you weren't able to hit a duck XD Good memories! I don't think they're selling games anymore where you have to shoot an animal though. Maybe that's a good thing XD

[clarity3]

The first game I ever played on the computer was Keen4, the first videogame I ever played was Pokemon because everyone was playing it and even though I wasn't into video games then I wanted it because everyone else was playing it. I actually think that is what got me into videogames lol.

[Whackjood]

THIS might be the earliest game memory I ever had.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=zooQz_nh1_s (actually, I was awful at this game as a kid. Could never figure it out)

But, well, my Brother was into games before even remember, maybe before I was born, and so, there's probably some older memories lurking around as well that haven't surfaced.

[numbuh1212]

I have had computer games since for as long as I can remember. I had this Mickey Mouse game that had some special thing that you put over the keyboard. It was kind of cool. All I really remember was a game where Mickey was juggling and when you lose, Minnie would come in and he would be all embarassed.

I also remember having a Snoopy activity center type game.

[X-475]

I hope it's okay if i reply here!!! Even though last post was in February 2010. I'm sorry!

I just have alot of memories i want to share.

I was born in 1994, and my first memories were in 2000 - 2001, In 2000 my uncle started playing Driver 2, I remember watching him do missions with his friends. Then in 2001, I often played GTA 3 with my Uncle's friend, only 7 years old. ^^ I also remember them playing Gran Turismo 2 - 3.

Good times. ^^

[misterian]

I think my earliest memory involved Super Mario Bros.

I remember, at a VERY early age, I just pressed right on the D-pad at World 1-1, only to bump into a Goomba and get killed by it, and I've done just that several times.

The funny thing was, I was born in 1991, when the NES was considered an old console, as it was to this day, and Yet the first games I played were on that system.

[nkirby]

Tons of Mario games, Diddy Kong Racing(took me years to beat), Zelda: Majora's Mask, and... Uh, those Freddi Fish games for the computer, and a Winnie the Pooh one.

[♥Comet..Adie♥]

We didn't have a computer or any video game system until I was at least 5. My earliest game memory was playing Donkey Kong on the N64 at my great aunts house. I was 4 at the time. When I was a little older we got a computer and it was then when I got a lot of computer games. My earliest being some barbie games. But my first gaming experience was at my great aunts on her n64 when I was about 4 or so.

Then when I was older we got a NES and I loved Duck Hunt and Mario.
And then I got a gameboy color and Pokemon Blue, then a Playstation, then my bro got a xbox, and a gamecube, and then I got DS.

[Deleted]

I remember playing the Brick Game. It was the earliest game I've played. And then I remember playing a ton of games in the GameBoy Color. I don't remember the names, but they were sure fun even if it only had the run and duck objective. Soon, I started playing the PlayStation 2 with my dad after a friend of his left it in our possession. Super Mario, Crash Bandicoot, and racing games became my addiction then! Then I got a GameBoy SP, and I loved playing Lilo and Stitch and Lilo and Stitch 2 with it. Now I only have a PSP and computer games.

[Delightful Children]

I think I was like 6 or 7 or so maybe even younger than that, and my grandma bought me a purple gameboy advance, which i still have, i had a pokemon yellow game that i would play, i thought it was funny cause pikachu could follow ash around, and i remember being annoyed cause i couldnt play it at night without the little light attachment cause the screen couldnt light up XD Then sometime later my parents bought me a gamecube, and this link game and mario cart double dash, a racing game which i loved, later my parents waited in line late at night at a toysrus to get me a gold gameboy sp, then many years later the first model of the ds came out and my parents bought me a blue one and a nintendogs game came with it, a few years later, they stopped making gamecube games, and my parents bought us a wii

[♥Comet..Adie♥]

Ahh I wanted Pokemon yellow so bad when I was a kid. I got Blue instead with my hot pink game boy color. Which I am actually currently playing....

I got a gamecube when I was 10. But until now I haven't been able to afford games for it. xD

[Numbah812]

Ah, first memoies of playing games are so fond to think of to be honest. When I was growing up, I remember only having two consoles, the n64 and the Sega Genesis. The strange part was is that I remember playing the genesis more, even though it annoyed the hell out of me because of the difficulty of the games. But anyway, the first game I think I ever played was Sonic the Hedgehog 2.....and then getting pissed off at it. All I can remember is the annoying chemical plant stage where I would fall off the platforms and sink into the chemical water and drown. Surprisingly, even though it pissed me off it turned me into a dedicated sonic fan, and now I'm hoping that sega doesn't screw up the franchise again with the game celebrating sonic's 20'th birthday.

[floweramon]

Hm... I earliest I can remember is watching my brother, his friends, and my cousins playing on the Sega Genesis. There were a lot of games they'd play, but I think I started by watching him play Sonic the Hedgehog 2. Then there was Mortal Kombat, which might explain a lot about me now that I think about it (especially since I remember also watching him play Parasite Eve on Playstation...)

Anyway, I don't quite remember what my own first console was. It was either my brother's hand-me-down Sega Genesis, a Nintendo 64, or a Gameboy Color.