A Timeline of Gaming Pt. 1

I had a chat with a friend of mine from my elementary school days. It was quite nostalgic because we talked about the things we used to do at school. We talked about our classmates and our teachers. We talked about the cartoons we watched and the comics we read. But most of all, we talked about the games we played. I know that I've been playing games ever since. But I never realized that I was playing games for 22 years now. Wow, time flies when you're having fun playing video games indeed. So, in tribute to my long years of gaming, I wrote a little timeline to document the gaming highlights of my life.

It all began on...

1986 - Atari 2600
Favorite Game: River Raid

I was six when my mom's cousins moved next to our house. Being well-paid seafarers, both of them filled their pad with a lot of toys that'll astound kids. They have every kind of remote controls, from motorcycles to airplanes, and an awesome train set. But what really made me a frequent guest at their place was their Atari 2600. It was my first time playing a video game, and it was one of my childhood experiences that I'll never forget. To be able to control an avatar on a TV, eating dots while dodging ghost-like figures or flying a plane through small spaces, was just mind blowing to me.

1987 - Nintendo Family Computer (NES)
Favorite Game: Mega Man Series

I became so enamored with my neighbor's Atari that my mom had a hard time keeping me at home. So she told my dad to buy me one as well. When he came home, however, he had with him a Nintendo Family Computer. At first, I was very disappointed that he didn't get me an Atari. But the moment he turned it on, I was instantaneously mesmerized. Its graphics was even more vibrant and its games were much more advanced compared to Atari's. From then on, my mom never had trouble keeping me at home. She did, however, found it hard making me study or do my chores.

1990 - Nintendo Game Boy
Favorite Game: Metroid II

Back then, the only portable gaming device was a Game & Watch. But my parents thought it was stupid and they never got me one. So, instead, I turned to my aunt from New York and asked her for it. But when she came home during Christmas '90, me and my cousins received a Game Boy instead. It was the first time we saw one, and we were flabbergasted. Unlike the Game & Watch, its games were dynamic, not static, and it has interchangeable cartridges. To us, it was like a mini Family Computer and it turned us into AA Battery addicts. I may not have that Game Boy anymore but it's still the best Christmas present.

1992 - Nintendo Super Famicom (SNES)
Favorite Game: Secret of Mana

I never had a SNES. My parents said I was "big enough" to be playing games so they never got me one (although they still buy me GI Joes). But that never stopped me from playing. Although I have to scrape my weekly allowance just to go to gaming stations and rent a console for hours every Saturday. So it was really a challenge to be playing long games like Chrono Trigger or Secret of Mana. But it was also fun since I get to hang out with school friends outside the school grounds.

1993 - Arcade
Favorite Game: Aliens Vs. Predator

When I entered high school in the early nineties, there was a rise of arcade joints in my area. They were just popping out everywhere. Arcade games were much more cheaper, especially if you're good at them. So I ditched SNES gaming stations in favor of arcades. Of course, as a rebellious adolescent, I also ditched school so I can play games like Captain Commando and Cadillacs and Dinousaurs. I even got suspended for two weeks when I got caught for cutting classes during a random school faculty raid at my arcade. But I didn't really care, because it actually gave me the free time to play arcade games without ditching school.

So, that's about it for now. These are the highlights of my gaming life, from when I was a kid up to my early teen years. I'll continue next time with my mid-teen to young adult years. So keep an eye on it.

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