What Was That Video Game That Made You Say “I’m A Gamer For Life”?

SchollA from Console ControllUs -where the console controls us writes:

Anyway I digress the point is when I came to this crossroad in life as I’m sure many of you have; as we had to make one of the first critical, crucial, and biggest decisions we would ever make in our adult lives (lmboooooo) when asking ourselves “Will I do this for life?” In my case it truly could’ve gone either way if it wasn’t for these two games.

[Snookies12]

Final Fantasy VI, or maybe Chrono Trigger... Not sure, but SNES era.

[Snookies12]

I wanted to edit my comment, but was a little too late... I should reiterate and say that I loved a lot of NES games. Bionic Commando, Final Fantasy 1, Zelda, Metroid, etc. However, it wasn't until FFVI and Chrono Trigger that I got so pulled into a game I didn't want to leave it. Those were the first two games that made me sad to finish.

[thorstein]

For me: Adventure: Atari 2600. What solidified this stance? Dragon Warrior NES.

After that, the games are just gravy.

Those would be console games.

Arcade games would have been Speed Rumbler, Jackal, Gauntlet, in no particular order.

[Alexander1Nevermind]

As a 40something gamer I started with the 2600. The game that knocked me off my feet was ffvii. I called my brother and told him I may have just seen the best video game ever when i Saw a video of it at toys r us.

[kickerz]

Golden axe, sonic, Mario, Ultima 8, Halo, Gears, Star craft, C&C, league of legends and many more. But if I had to pick one Ultima 8. So many hours spent in that massive world.

[MysticStrummer]

@thorstein - Yes! So many 2600 games, but if I had to list just one it would be Adventure.

[Concertoine]

For me, as a kid, it was Super Mario Galaxy. Im 17 haha. Probably overrall though silent hill 2 made me realize how involved a game could make me, and how well put together a game could be.

[3-4-5]

Probably Pitfall on Atari or maybe Super Mario Brothers NES.

I remember being like 3-4 when I KNEW I loved games.

All kinds of games.

[Redgehammer]

Pong, in 1975!

[Jonny5isalive]

probably super mario bros. But Super mario 64 made me start buy gaming mags and that led too all kinds of consoles and pc games.

[shaw98]

Intresting. I am much younger than you. The game that made me say "I am a gamer for life" was Super Mario Sunshine. That game helped me through one of the hardest times of my life.

http://www.ign.com/blogs/sh...

[Pathosverdes3]

Good read, thanks for sharing.

[Concertoine]

Everyone needs their own kind of therapy, for me and you it is definitely games.

Ironically we're like opposites haha. Persona 3 was my lifesaver... And its a much different game than sunshine with darker themes.

Sunshine was the first game i ever beat though, so it still holds a place in my heart.

[NextGen24Gamer]

For me it was Kings Quest for the PC. Quake & Duke Nukem stand out on PC as well.

For consoles Fantasy Star Online on the Dreamcast got me hooked on console online gaming. But other console games that left an impression are Super Metroid, the star wars game on super Nintendo, and the first Halo.

[ikkokucrisis]

Tron!
http://youtu.be/hz3A_vNibEI

Star Wars!
http://youtu.be/jHUToeQykp0

[Spenok]

Both great choices. And that was easily one of the best eras for games. For me it was Zelda A Link to the Past. Though FF VI and Chrono Trigger were amazing as well.

[IGiveHugs2NakedWomen]

The very first time I played the very first Legend Of Zelda. Then that "feeling" happened again when I played the very first Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest. I don't care what anyone thinks, i'll be playing video games as long as I can see and hold a controller with two hands.

[Tzuno]

Definitely Snes era, my first big accomplishment was Secret of Mana followed by Donkey Kong series and still to this day Snes is the best console that i ever gamed, period. How the hell i finished Secret of Mana as a kid? because it was in German and i don't understand a word it took me 2 weeks to finish the game but the joy at the end made me feel like a real gamer. Oh and that was without Internet since then internet for me was something like Atlantis :P

[solar]

Playing DOOM on dial-up with my mate down the street in '93. So much fun

[MrDead]

That's a tough question. There were a few that got me hooked Newzealand Story, Turrican, Swiv even SimCity but the game that made me a gamer for life would have to be The Secret of Monkey Island. As a 9yo Monkey Island blew my mind.

For the Monkey Island fans here's Monkey Island Meets Metal: https://www.youtube.com/wat...

[mixelon]

Ha! I thought I'd be the only person to bring up Turrican!

For me it was that and early Psygnosis games like shadow of the beast which although lacked gameplay, artistically were amazing.

Then later on wing commander / ultima underworld / Doom, but I'd already been converted way before then.

[Redgehammer]

I loved Shafow of the Beast on my Amiga, and anything by the Bitmap Brithers.

[CyberSentinel]

The legend of Zelda (Nes)

[NukaCola]

This was my first massive adventure game. I pretty much realized, gaming was where it was at.

But after 25 years now, it's the games that keep me playing. If they sucked, I would of quit. So I have to give credit to many massive titles that keep me gaming.

KOTOR
Uncharted
Chrono Trigger
FF
Oddworld
DeathSpank
Smash Bros
Metroid
Ninja Gaiden
MK
etc etc

[ashen122]

im not as old as most of these people so for me i'd say mario N64

[Jonny5isalive]

I agree and im kinda old, 28. I knew I loved games when I played super mario bros on NES, but mario 64 made me a gamer for life.

[mrmonk]

I am also 28 but the games that done it for me was sonic,golden axe,streets of rage & my number 1 game back in the day for me was Alex kidd built into my sega master system lol awesome.

[1stPersonHuman]

I didn't play much video games until Super Smash Bros. Melee, after that I've been a massive gamer. Smash Bros. Brawl was what got me checking video game news to find out the new characters, and from there I found gaming sites to check out

[SCW1982]

Super Mario 64 I had NES and super NES but mario 64 was just mind blowing in 3D. Most magical experience I have had with a game.

[SaveFerris]

Boulder Dash

[SpiralTear]

For me, it was Sonic 3 and Knuckles, but Banjo-Tooie was definitely a contributor as well.

[CloudRap]

Skyrim, nuff said

[NeoGamer232]

Pong on the Coleco Telstar 1976...

Have been gaming in every generation ever since...

And it led me to a career in software development as well..

[shadow18spirit]

To me it was ratchet and clank , and also the legend of dragoon

[DragoonsScaleLegends]

The Legend of Dragoon and MediEvil were so awesome on PS1.

[rodiabloalmeida]

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and Chrono Trigger.

[Vegamyster]

Super Mario World or Command & Conquer series, love them equally.

[tanukisuit]

MY BRAIN = http://www.youtube.com/watc...

[Vegamyster]

Building... Construction complete... Building...

[LamerTamer]

Demon Attack on Atari 2600.

[mamotte]

Donkey Kong Country and Killer Instinct. Ah, the SNES era...

[CaspuR]

probably crash 2 or super mario 64,......now that i think about it metal gear solid on ps1 was it 4 me.

[PoSTedUP]

socom II; by that time i knew this s*** was permanent..

[lemoncake]

Wonder boy in monster land on SMS made me a console gamer for life, doom and theme park made me a PC gamer for life.

[Aratax]

Pokemon Gold

[Revengeance]

Super Mario Bros. 3

[dafegamer]

Wow so many!!!! The recent one was Dragon Quest 8 for ps2,
I literally screamed "I dont want it to end" even after playing it for 70 hours

[Mega24]

Can't pin point it, but its between Metal Gear, Elder Scrolls or Marathon.

[Redgehammer]

Bubble for Marathon.

[Metallox]

Pikmin 2.

Or maybe not. I remember that in 2010 I started to play a lot my 360 and Wii thanks to the hype I had for Skyward Sword. It's then between Twilight Princess and Bayonetta 1.

[tanukisuit]

I have fond memories of Wolfenstein 3D and Super Mario World, but...

I'm going to have to say either... Secret of Mana/The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the past. Damn, I can't pick between those two!!!

[Skankinruby]

Metroid and Dragon Warrior

[DanielGearSolid]

Sonic the Hedgehog

Metal Sonic was literally one the coolest things ive ever seen in my life..

Not to mention the plane ride up to Robotnics airship

[LOL_WUT]

Sonic the hedgehog and Mortal Kombat 1 really got me into playing video games ;)

[marloc_x]

Metroid and Contra!

[overrated44]

Final Fantasy VII, it's the first game that made me care about characters and a story in games.

[Manubiggs]

My sentiments exactly.

[shinrock]

Street Fighter

[jjb1981]

Super Mario bros 2

[cell989]

Metroid for NES but Metal Gear Solid reassured me.

[ChickenOfTheCaveMan]

I grew up with the NES and the Marios, Zeldas, Punch-Out, but God of War is the game that made me say I need to stay a gamer and see what other great titles will get created.

[BitbyDeath]

Double dragon on the Atari St 520

[WeAreLegion]

Donkey Kong Country.

But it wasn't until Shadow of the Colossus that I realized video games were going to be at the forefront of my mind every day for the rest of my life.

[Xristo]

Dragon Warrior on the NES. I think I finished it at least 10 times.

[desertpunk86]

super metroid and metal gear solid.

[level 360]

GranTurismo

[c31647]

Mortal Kombat and Metal Gear

[98xpresent]

Mgs3, halo2, crash 1, 2, 3

[MisfitsInc]

there are 3 games in particular that made me want to keep on gaming. on Sega it was Maximum Carnage, then twice on Plastation. Metal Gear: Solid, and Tenchu

[ion666]

Asteroids and fighting street the first street fighter game.BOOM I'm qualified to be a gaming journalist with 25 years of experience. I'm 34 now . That's a lot of games.

[ion666]

What a fun question. Ahh memories :-)

[CPTN MITCHELL]

Metal gear nes and combat on atari and I'm 40 years old

[RobAlmighty]

Football on the Sega Genesis. That is the first game I can remember playing. Then right after that would have to be Resident Evil on the Playstation.

[DragoonsScaleLegends]

Basically the Nintendo and PlayStation brand for me. So many great games growing up.

[HeWhoWalks]

Street Fighter II: The World Warrior

- SNES

[masso9112]

I loved video games since I was a Little kid in the snes era but the first game I really geniunely fell inlove with was The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, I just can't describe the emotional value that game has

[76erz24]

Sonic the Hedgehog for Sega Genesis

[swice]

All NES Metroids and Megamans and Zeldas. And Marios.
SNES just reassured me, and N64 solidified it.

[Trekster_Gamer]

My game was combat for the Atari 2600
Christmas 1978

Been hooked ever since..

[Big_Game_Hunters]

Yoshi's island SNES

[jegheist2014]

final fantasy 7 and lunar 1 and 2

[Inception]

Hmmm
Super Mario, Sonic 1, MK 3 (sega), Contra 1 (NES), SF II (arcade), and MGS (PS1)

[goldwyncq]

EarthBound

[ashen122]

by the looks of this comment section Nintendo and playstation have had huge impact on gamers

[Inception]

Don't forget SEGA and i'm sure arcade also gave a huge impact for some people (including me).

[XXXL]

When I was younger I always felt that there would be a time I would outgrow games. Felt it was a child's hobby that wouldn't translate to adulthood. I loved my NES and Snes but even the games geared towards older players still felt "cartoony" in a way. Then I played the original Resident Evil. Blew my mind. It was like nothing I've ever played. That's when I knew that innovation will continue to draw me in.

[TheFanboySlayer]

40 Winks (PS1), Bloody Rage (ps1), The legend of Spyro (ps2), Star Wars battlefront (ps2), Warhawk (ps3), LBP (ps3)

[Umbasa]

Virtual Fighter: (ARCADE) At the time all my friends were into street fighter and mortal kombat...I thought those games sucked! I messed with other games but never felt they were more then a play thing or distraction until i played VF for the first time, some time past and i heard that VR was coming to the Saturn. i got one just for it and VF2, along the way i fell in love with Tomb Raider as well. I was 16 back then, i am now 33 :)

[jeremyj2913]

The original Devil May Cry. I was 12 when I first played the demo. I was playing it at a store called FuncoLand. One of the associates saw me playing and told me to hit the L1 button. That one button changed gaming as I knew it that day. I had never seen anything like the "Devil Trigger" before and I was blown away. Ever since that day Dante has been my favorite character and Devil May Cry had been my favorite hack and slash game. Love Kamiya's other games as well tho.

[Jaqen_Hghar]

Definitely Crash 3

[Edward75]

The Legend of Zelda.

[Edi007]

Street fighter 2 (SNES)

[MrRet]

METAL GEAR SOLID

[quenomamen]

Double Dragon

[gamejediben]

Final Fantasy VI

October 11, 1994

That was the day when everything changed. Up until that moment I thought gaming didn't get any better than Mario, Zelda, Streets of Rage and Sonic: Simple games with little story and great, satisfying gameplay.

Then 3 Magitek suits walked in the snow and Kefka gave his maniacal laugh and my definition of gaming was changed FOREVER. And just when I was catching my breath, Chrono Trigger landed like a nuclear bomb declaring that powerful narrative, amazing music, epic boss battles and an experience that I will treasure for the rest of my life was now within the domain of gaming.

Then came Final Fantasy VII and I cried like a little girl when Aeris died. I wanted bloody revenge on Sephiroth and I realized that I had never truly hated a game villain before. And then Metal Gear Solid sent shockwaves through the industry and I knew I was going to be a gamer for the rest of my life.

So I guess it was a series of games that did it for me but FFVI is the one that first changed my opinion of gaming. And for that, it deserves my appreciation.

*humming the opening theme song*

[TheOnlyMastrx]

Not so much one game, but starting out on NES and SNES got me hooked for life. (:

[danny818]

I would have to say frogger and twisted metal on the ps1. And well halo 1 really brought me into sharing the experience with a friend. Halo for life!

[RedDevils]

Pac Man!

Seriously it would be C&C Red Alert, Starcraft, Age of empire, crash bandicoot or Mortal Kombat arcade those were epic even till to these day

[Phoenix76]

1984: The game was Elite, which I saw an uncle of mine playing. Blew my mind with its wireframe 3d graphics and open ended game play.

I saw the future.

[Rob Hornecker]

Seeing and playing the 1st arcade pong game in the early 70's and then the 1st in home console.the balley arcade system that was on display at a sears store.

I'm now 58 years old and still gaming! WOW have we come along way in gaming!

[martinezjesus1993]

Super Mario 64 was the game that introduced me to gaming (I was born in 93 incase you didn't notice, so I'm not as "expienced" you guys.) But I didnt really make it a hobby of mine until I played Fallout 3 back in 08, since then I'm constantly in gaming forums and play almost every major game that comes out. I am still waiting for Fallout 4 though. . .

[Clown_Syndr0me]

I bet I have the weirdest choice.

Casper on PS1.

Reason being I was about 6 years old when my mum bought me a Playstation and this was one of my first games.

I found the puzzles difficult and challenging, and loved exploring the house. I never got far in those days, but I just wanted more and more games after that!

[2pacalypsenow]

Mgs on the ps1

[Paul85]

Metal Gear Solid 1998 ps1.

[FogLight]

Kingdom Hearts. My most favorite game series of my childhood and it is still my all time favorite :D

[Scar-]

Sonic one hands down, everything else was meh or okay till that game.

[IWasHere]

I don't know it exactly cause I was very young (4 years I think) I played my first video game. Maybe it was Ridge Racer on PS1 or Sonic The Hedgehog. What I know that games fascinated me suddenly and today I cannot imagine a life without them.

[urwifeminder]

Arcade Tron and Ace of aces c64.

[GuruStarr78]

Back in 1984 we had a six game radio shack Pong machine.. yeah, I knew at six years old!

[Yui_Suzumiya]

Mario Bros, Castlevania, Metroid, Ironsword, Ghosts N'Goblins, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Friday the 13th, The Simpson's (NES era)

[TheGrimReaper0011]

Crash Bandicoot 3 and Spyro Trilogy

... What? That's not 1 game?

Don't make me choose! :D

[Dustinf11]

Balders gate: dark alliance.

[Karnalsyn]

Asteroids on Atari

[kwandar]

First game was Star Trek - text version ....
http://en.wikipedia.org/wik...

Yes, I was into video games before most of you were born ;)

(I don't really consider Pong to be a video game - it is, but ...)

[aLiEnViSiToR]

Front Mission 3

[nesiguess]

Although I started on the atari 2600, Super mario bros. Has to be one the other..twisted metal 2. Weird choices huh?

[Sokol]

Mario of course :) as my first experience.

Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater personal favorite.

[GAMExxOVER]

PAC MAN on the atari. Back in the day, I would hussle the neighborhood kids 10 cents a game on 2 player mode. That was big money back in the late 70's. I would then use that money to go to the little burger joint across the street that had Donkey Kong, Asteroids, space invaders Centipede etc.
Gaming also turned me into a little criminal. Taking a couple quarters out of moms purse then I learned to pop the back off of the arcade machines and get the quarters or tokens out of the machine to play more games.

[ATi_Elite]

We use to put clear tape on Dollar Bills stick them into the coin changer

When you heard the click pull the dollar back out and you would get 4 quarters.

So you would find me at the arcade with $20 in quarters and a dollar bill with tape on it and I smile on my face as I played all the great games like afterburner and metal slug

Ah those were the days.

[ATi_Elite]

I'm old as dirt so the first game that made me a gamer well was sorta the first console game ever.

PONG I played it an old but original Magnavox Odyssey Home system sometime right before the release of the Atari 2600. After that I starter pumping quarters into Arcade machines like Space Invaders Zaxxon Asteroids Defender PacMan

But the home console was truly my mainstay owning pretty much most of them or the ones my best friends didn't have so I played them all.

Until that one dark and creepy evening after spending all day beefing up my little PC and pushing it past its designed specs to play Half Life 2 on super ultra low.

I played HL2 on my Pc for like an hour before it overheated and crashed but I was hooked and from that moment on I became a Pc Gamer for life and still to this day some where there is a ps2 slim with an unfinished San Andreas disc and memory card still sitting in it because that was the last console game I played before turning to the darkside and becoming a Exclusive PC Gamer.

But yeah PONG made me a gamer
Oregon Trail introduced me to PC Gaming and rpg
Street Fighter 2 was my all time favorite arcade game
I spent at least $100 in two hours on TMNT Turtles in time giving quarters out like candy to kids to help me beat it.
Wolfenstein introduced me to the fps and 3D tech
Doom scared the crap outta me and made me interested in the PC
Half Life 2 made me an Enthusiast PC Gamer

[Spikeantestor]

While I was a pretty hardcore gamer in the 16 bit era, the first Resident Evil and Final Fantasy VII in the PSX made me the gamer I'll be for the rest of my life.

[ninjahunter]

starcraft 1, even i got the original xbox i still spent hundreds of hours playing it on my old pc.

[lamsiam13]

target renegade rick dangerous zx spectrum long time ago

[TranceXTheory]

But been playing since snes. But I would say "zombies ate my neighbors" on SNES. Followed by mortal kombat 3 on genesis. And breath of fire series on PS. GOLDEN EYE007 on n64 all but confirmed my love for gaming.

[tinkypop]

R Type , ZX Spectrum.
Miss the high pitch noise of the tape player doing it job.

[PurpHerbison]

It is literally impossible for me to single out a game when I grew up in a time where almost every game was a great game.

[jdubrady]

Im 23..but the original games that pulled me in to games were on the sega genesis and super nintendo.

Road Rash
Sonic 2
Donkey Kong Country
metal gear solid is what kept me gamer through these years.

[asadachi]

The original Legend of Zelda