1. Sonic the Hedgehog
Sonic the Hedgehog was the first video game I can
remember getting lost in. My brother and I used to play this game every day and
I have fond memories of trying to figure out how to execute a timed cheat code
on the start-up menu that we had read in a gaming magazine at the grocery store.
We didn’t have the money to buy the magazine growing up so we memorized how to
do it instead. The first time we managed to go Super Sonic (a shining, golden
version of the main character who was invincible but very hard to acquire) was
one of the best video game moments of my early life.
2. The Legend of Zelda – Ocarina of Time
I memorized every twist and turn, every song and every monster in this game. To this day, I still rank it as one of the best video games I’ve ever played. The scope and grandeur of the lands of Hyrule were something I had not experienced in a video game leading up to Legend of Zelda. The world was so big and 3D (my first experience with that technology), the puzzles were difficult and rewarding upon completion, and the overall feel of the game was fun and grand. This game was the catalyst that sparked my interest in the fantasy genre for both gaming and writing.
3. Banjo Kazooie
Banjo Kazooie and its sequel Banjo Tooie were games about puzzle solving (literally), collectables, and evil witch hunting. It was the first game that made me want, and try, to collect and achieve everything possible in its many worlds. My strongest memory is of the final world In Banjo Kazooie, Click Clock Wood. The world centered on a game mechanic that revolved around manually changing the seasons. In winter, snow would build up around a giant, central tree making it easier to get up to high places; spring, the plant life would flourish; summer, the pond would dry up; and in autumn, leaves would fall from the tree and clutter the ground. The game was very lighthearted and fun.
4. Pokémon – Red Version
It’s safe to say that Pokémon ruled my early life and continues to have an effect on it today. I’ve played all the games. I used to collect the trading cards and go to Toys R Us on Saturday mornings to compete in tournaments in hopes of earning the badges you collect in-game in real life. I knew the names of every Pokémon and continued to learn them as sequels were released and new Pokémon were added to the game. Even to this day, I deal with Pokémon constantly whist dealing with my girlfriend’s new business. She crochets the characters and items from the game into plushies and hacky-sacks that sell like hot cakes at nerd conventions that we go to.
Her work can be seen here:
www.etsy.com/shop/KehleeDoesThings
5. Tony Hawk Pro Skater
My brother and I played a total of seven different versions of this game and it was one of our favorites to play together. We were both avid skateboarders while growing up and even started our own skateboarding business – Broken Skateboarding Company. This game and its many sequels allowed us to continue skateboarding when we came home from a tiring all-day skate session or on rainy days when the water would rust the bearings in your wheels.
6. Final Fantasy IX
Final Fantasy IX was the first game that really captured my attention on the newest (at the time) gaming console, the Playstation 1. It was The Legend of Zelda, Ocarina of Time on Japanese fantasy steroids. The graphics were incredible and immersive, the turn-based gameplay brought a new strategy element to gaming for me, and it had an in-game card game where you collected and played with the trading cards you found throughout the world.
7. Runescape
Runescape was my first foray into the online world of video games. It was the first game my dad was forced to install time restraints on because my brother and I played it so much that we’d use to argue over who would get to play it on the single computer we shared at the time. One hour for me, one hour for him, back and forth late into the night. Together, we took over the game’s stock market causing price fluctuations on the many items necessary to playing the game. In this way we profited and made lots and lots of in-game money. It was fun to have that much control over a game millions of people were playing.
8. World of Warcraft
World of Warcraft is a massively multiplayer online game (MMO) that in its heyday boasted over 12 million subscribers. I joined the game a little late in 2010 but still played the heck out of it. I joined one of the best guilds (a group of players) in the USA where we teamed up to fight the hardest bosses in the game and competed against thousands of other guilds to see who could complete a dungeon and its bosses first. It was 25 people playing together, talking to each other with microphones to plan out and execute the difficult strategies needed to overcome each boss. I played three hours a night, three days a week, for four years – and that was just with the guild, not including the hours I played it by myself questing, practicing and leveling up my character to ensure I was readying for the big league raids with my guild. My highest claim to fame was ranking 11th best in the world – in the world! – at playing my character on a given boss.
I played a Goblin Warlock named Axxley. He is my
favorite fantasy character I’ve ever created and I even have book ideas based around
him that I’ll be writing in the future, a sample of which can be read here: http://jasonbrownwrites.blogspot.com/2013/08/the-raids-fighting-influence.html
World of Warcraft has been life changing for me. I
met my girlfriend in the game (which actually has a higher rate of success than
any online dating service on the internet) and we are now closing in on three
years together. It vastly sparked my interest in writing fantasy novels. And it’s
my favorite video game I’ve ever played.
I look forward to seeing what game
next catches my fancy and to see the many ways I’m sure it will change my life
for the better.
