Describe your gaming history (also contains TL:DR)

1. 3-6 Years Old - Atari 2600 and Intellivision, Not Quite a Gamer Yet:
   Started gaming on my older sister's Atari 2600 and my Dad's Intellivision (parents split at a young age, so he had it at his house and I played on visits). But neither would keep my interest for too long. I was very young, like 3-6 years old.
   Important Games: Pac-Man (or maybe Ms. Pac-Man, so long ago I can't remember), Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong Jr., Frogger.
   
   
2. 5-6 Years Old - Discovered the NES and Got Hooked:
   Played the NES at family get-togethers on my Uncle's NES. That's what I really got hooked on, and I started playing at friend's houses and begging my mom for one. I was about 5-6 years old.
   Important Games: Super Mario Bros., Duck Hunt, Contra, Double Dragon, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
   
   
3. 7-11 Years Old - Owned an NES and the Arcade Scene:
   Man I loved my NES, and I still do. This is the machine that truly made me fall in love with gaming. It was here that my passion, and pretty much addiction with gaming began. I alos played a lot of Arcades during this era, the late 80s to mid 90s, IMO the Golden Age of arcades. Arcades were booming, and even places like 7-11 and Safeway had some arcade machines, a game was always just a quarter away.
   Important Games: Super Mario Bros. 1-3, The Legend of Zelda 1 & 2, Contra, Bionic Commando, The Battle of Olympus, Mega Man 1-5, Star Soldier, Pin-Bot, R.C. Pro-Am, Golden Axe, TMNT Arcade, Street Fighter II, Mortal Kombat, The Punisher Arcade, X-Men Arcade, Simpson Arcade, Raiden Arcade Series.
   
   
4. 11-15 Years Old - SNES vs. Genesis Battle Is Won, By Owning Both:
   Okay, that title is a little misleading. I did own both systems, but at different times. I got the SNES first. And I had some of the greatest gaming experiences I have ever had in my life on that system with masterpieces by Nintendo and some of my fondest RPG experiences. After playing a good number of A+ titles on the SNES, I felt I was missing out on what Sega had to offer. So I traded my SNES and games in for a Genesis and some games. This was late in the Genesis's lifespan, so a lot of the library was available to me and a good portion of it at decent prices. I played through some of the best games on the Genesis in a short period, but enjoyed them all the same. I did play the Sonic and Mortal Kombat games a lot before ever owning a Genesis, though, at a good friend's house.
   Important Games: Super Mario World, LoZ: A Link to the Past, Super Metroid, Donkey Kong Country, Breath of Fire 1 & 2, Chrono Trigger, Actraiser, Sim City, Sonic the Hedgehog 1-3, Comix Zone, Vectorman 1 & 2, Eternal Champions, X-Men 2 & Mutant Apocalypse, Spider-Man Maximum Carnage & Seperation Anxiety, Mortal Kombat 1-3, Street Fighter II, Samurai Shodown series, Metal Slug Arcade series.
   
   
5. 13-16 Years Old - Playstation and Dreamcast Years & Light-Gun Arcades:
   My entire gaming landscape changed overnight when my mom got me a Playstation for my birthday. The days of side-scrolling or vertical scrolling 2D gaming was gone (mostly) and the world of 3D gaming came at me all at once. This may sound ridiculous to some of you younger gamers, but it actually took a little getting used to controlling games in 3D. For years I had been trained and honed my skills for 2D gaming only. Once I became comfortable though, the thrill of discovering those early 3D games was awesome. It was like discovering a whole new world to explore. Some younger games may have had a similar experience with Motion-Controls, but personally it didn't have the same impact on me as the introduction of 3D gaming did. And then when Dreamcast came out, I was blown-away by the graphics the machine put out. Compared to today's consoles it's no comparison, but back then the graphics were just jaw-dropping in games like Sonic Adventure, Shenmue, and Soul Calibur. I also played a lot of light-gun games at the arcades during this time. Some of the best ones were during this time period.
   Important Games: Resident Evil series, King's Field 1 & 2, Syphon Filter, Tomb Raider, Crash Bandicoot, Castlevania SotN, Descent, Marvel vs. Capcom, Quake series, Descent, Spider-Man, Ridge Racer, Road Rash 3D, Soul Calibur, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, Twisted Metal 1 & 2, WWF Attittude, WWF Smackdown, CarnEvil, Area 51, House of the Dead 1 & 2, Time Crisis 1 & 2, Metal Gear Solid.
   
   
6. 16-19 Years Old - Original XBox
   I started to really get into action-RPGs and Western-RPGs during this time. So the XBox was the perfect console for me. And I got to experience the best versions of the multiplatform games I played this way. Morrowind, and Halo to a lesser degree were the reasons I decided to get one and finally leave my Dreamcast behind. I played the heck out of both games, and Halo 2 when it came out. So many lost hours just in those 3 games. And then many more hours lost to the numberous RPGs and action games put out on the system.
   Important Games: Morrowind, Halo 1 & 2, Baldur's Gate Dark Alliance 1 & 2, D & D Heroes, Jade Empire, MechAssault 1 & 2, Spider-Man 1 & 2, Star Wars Battlefront 1 & 2, WWF Raw, Arx Fatalis, Marvel Ultimate Alliance, Justice League Heroes, Tony Hawk's Underground.
   
   
7. 20 Years Old - Now (29 Years Old) - Game Collector and Retro-Gamer:
   It was at this age I realized that I had a bit of games, and that there were many games I had traded away that I wish I still had. It was then that I started becoming a true game collector. I did buy games and hold on to ones I really liked before that, but it wasn't really a conscious effort to collect games until now. I've since acquired many games I had let go of, and discovered new oldies I enjoy. And I have gotten many systems I had always wanted, or played at friend's houses but didn't have myself. This is a lifelong hobby for me now, as far as I can forsee, because my game wishlist just seems to grow and grow over the years even thought I'm buying games. I still do have modern systems, too, like my Wii, DS, and XBox 360 and game on those in addition to my cIassic consoles, but I probably game more on my older consoles. So I guess I can officially be called a retro-gamer.
   Important Games: Too many to name.

My first memory is actually of me running into the first goomba in Super Mario Bros. I was 3 at the time.

After that, my gaming was sporadic. My parents hate video games, so most of the gaming I did as a kid was at my cousin's places. I used to play Pokemon on their gameboys and Mario on their N64s. I also used to go to my grandparents a lot and they owned a Super Nintendo. I had beaten that game 3 times before I was 6.

On Christmas 1997, I recieved my first gaming console, a Sega Genesis. When I was a kid, mostly due to the fact that I was used to the N64 at the time, I didn't really like my Genesis, although I always played Sonic 1 and 2, Streets of Rage, and Golden Axe when I was bored. The next year my half-brother talked my parents into getting me an N64 so I could borrow some of his games. As a 6 year old, I played many games my brother loved I probably shouldn't have ever touched (Turok 3, DOOM and DOOM 64, Dark Rift, etc.). I owned only a few games for the Nintendo, Glover, Banjo Kazooie, Mario Kart, Diddy Kong Racing, Rush 2, a Nascar game, and a basketball game. These 2 were my only consoles for the next 10 years because, as I said, my parents hated video games.

Although I didn't own any of last gen's consoles until after the gen had ended, due to my parents working most of the time and playing amateur pool almost every night, I spent nearly all of my free time during breaks and summers at my cousin's house, who had a Gamecube. We spent all of our time playing Melee, 007 Agent Under Fire (I love that grappling hook in multiplayer), and Sonic Adventure 2: Battle (and I've played the Dreamcast version, I honestly believe that the Gamecube port is the superior version).

Finally, I went out and bought a Gamecube in 2008. It broke in less than a year (wouldn't read discs anymore, and yes, I've fixed it since then). My cousin gave me his original Xbox when he bought a 360, I bought an SNES last year at a flea market, I got a Wii in 2008 for Christmas, and I bought a 360 earlier this year.

That's it. To summarize where I am on what consoles I prefer, I am a Nintendo junkie through and through. I like the Genesis more than the SNES, but that's almost entirely due to the Shinobi series. There was also a 2 year period (2000-2001) where I hated Nintendo because I was stupid enough to listen to people, ironically, here on Gamespot when the Gamecube had a less than lackluster release and everyone was starting the "kiddy Nintendo" trend. That was quickly resolved when I played Smash Bros Melee at my cousin's and realized I was being stupid.

Not counting handhelds:

First: Atari VCS/2600

Briefly: Colecovision

After the VCS broke: Atari 2600 Jr.

My first computer (very brief): Commodore C128

My first PC (very brief): Tandy 1000SX

First awesome console: Nintendo NES

First awesome computer: Commodore Amiga

SNES - overshadowed by the Amiga

First DIY PC: awesome to this day; jumped ship after Commodore dissolved

3DO - Road Rash 3DO by itself made the 3DO a worthwhile purchase for me.... Best game ever for me. See my avatar.

PSX - after I made the mistake of selling my 3DO. I also wanted a smooth-running Tomb Raider

N64 - simply awesome. The water in Wave Race 64 made me drool for years to come :lol:

DIY PC with 3dfx Voodoo - it's what turned me away from switching totally to consoles. I was that --><-- close to switching

Things settled down afterwards:

PS2

GameCube

Wii

PS3

1992 to 1996: The Beginning Years - I got my very first console, a Sega Genesis, on my fifth birthday, and used to play a ton of platformers, action games, and the occassional puzzle game during this time. I swore my Sega, and during this period the only exposure to the NES I had was at several friend's houses; I remember liking the NES, but I always thought my Genesis was way better. Also, rental stores were the best part of my weekend; I used to rent a game or two on Friday night and play all weekend (sometimes, the fun sometimes stopped early if I ended up renting a crappy game). Beyond just my interest in consoles, I used to go to the arcade at a local shopping mall pretty often with my parents or my cousin. There I loved games like Mortal Kombat, Virtua Racing, Tekken, and some light gun shooter games, although I can't remember what a lot of them were now. Towards the end of these period I got a SNES on my 8th birthday. While I didn't get into it as much as my Genesis, I loved the Donkey Kong Country games, as well as several other titles.

1996 to 1999: The N64 years - On Christmas 1996 I got a Nintendo 64 along with Super Mario 64: my world would never be the same. I was absolutely blown away by the N64 and it's incredible graphics at the time. It only took about an hour of playing Super Mario 64 to convert me from my place as a huge Sega fan from the previous 4-years. During the next few years I would amas a huge N64 collection (which I stupidly sold the majority of it, but have rebought most of it since), and I would sware by Nintendo during this time. I had limited exposure to the Saturn, Playstation, and Jaguar through playing them at the houses of reletives and friend's houses, and I remember really liking all of them, however I was a Nintendo convert and had no regrets only owning an N64 during this time. As if my obsession with Nintendo wasn't bad enough, a little thing called Pokemon came out, and a good part of late 98 and most of 1999 was spent catchen em' all and going full out with everything having to do with Pokemon.

1999-2003: Growing up years - The previous personal era of gaming ended on 9/9/199, yes, the day the Dreamcast came out in North America. While I didn't get a Dreamcast at launch (got one several months later) I wanted one more than anything else up until that point. That November I got my wish; my aunt got me a Dreamcast, Sonic Adventure and House of the Dead 2, and I was smitten. Similar to when I first got my N64, I was absolutely floored by how awesome the Dreamcast was and had gone fully back to Camp Sega because of the Dreamcast. I honestly though that I couldn't love any other system more than the Dreamcast, but the PS2 destroyed all me expectations in the best way possible. I got my first PS2 on Christmas of 2000 and while I still played my Dreamcast quite a bit after, my PS2 took the front seat. During this time, I also would own my first PS1 (actually bought this the say that the PS2 came out) and Saturn, and was introduced to RPGs on these systems, a genre that woud be my favorite for many years after that. Between my brother and I, we also got an XBOX and a Gamecube. I loved both of these systems (the Gamecube more), they could not compare to how amazing the PS2 was, or even the Dreamcast. When I think back to the most wonderful years of gaming for me, this era is the first to come to mind.

2004 to 2007: The Hiatus Years - Sometime toward the end of 2003, I began to start enjoying gaming less and less, not necessarily because the games were bad, but just because I felt like I needed to take a break. In addition to this I had a lot of personal things going on, both good and bad, during this time period which left little room for gaming. Even though I barely played any video games during this time, I did play several memorable games that would eventually become some of my favorites. I remember playing a lot of the Need for Speed games released during this time (Underground, Underground 2, Most Wanted) and both Half Life and Half Life 2. I also played Guitar Hero and Rock Band Quite bit as well.

2007 to present: The Hardcore years - I can't attribute getting back into video games to any single event, game or console, but I gradually started to enjoy gaming more and more during 2007. Initially I ws really into playing my Wii nd 360 (RIP), but I started to to also appreciate many games that I never played or knew existed from previous gens. This would eventually spawn a growing obsession with retro games and also collecting rather than just selling or trading games in for new ones. Over the past few years, I have amassed a great knowledge of video games, and have played more different kinds and genres of games then I have my whole life. I'm not sure what the next period of gaming will look like, or how I will evolve as a gamer, but I am enjoying video games more right now then I ever had my entire life currently :)

When I was 4- 6 I would love, absolutely love, playing super Mario Bros 3 with my dad, brother or Grandma at my Grandma's house. The game will always remind me of her, may she rest in peace.

Anyways, moving on, when I was.... oh, just turning 6 or so, my brother got a N64 with Ocarina of Time. I loved watching him play the game. This inspired me to get a GBA, and I began to game more. Also, I would watch my dada play Thief the Dark Project and that was cool.

That same year, I got Majora's Mask, and it quickly became my favorite game ever. Still is to this day.

When I was about 7- 12, my big thing was Gamecube. Smash Bros, zelda, everything on it was awesome. I was gaming alot now, trying alot of things.

I beleive I got my DS and Wii when I was 13 or 14. And I've been gaming ever since.

My brother was always in the know about gaming. I can't remember a time before we owned SNES and Genesis, and I think I got my own personal top-loading NES for my 4th birthday. Basically, I've always played video games. The End

[QUOTE="godzillavskong"][QUOTE="Dudersaper"]I remember having played NES before having the Genesis, and when I got the Genesis it was only with Sonic and Taz, but it blew me away, I'm glad it was my first console :DAustralianpope

[QUOTE="godzillavskong"][QUOTE="Dudersaper"]I remember having played NES before having the Genesis, and when I got the Genesis it was only with Sonic and Taz, but it blew me away, I'm glad it was my first console :DAustralianpope

From what I've read, the TG-16 was inaccurately marketed as a 16-bit system. It actually was built around an 8-bit processor. So the TG-16 isn't on the same level as the Genesis. The Genesis is a more capable machine.

[QUOTE="Australianpope"][QUOTE="godzillavskong"]Taz was a great game! I forgot about that game! Remember Decap Attack? That was was awesome also! He'd throw his own head @ the enemies. I spent countless hours on my Genesis! I remember being a subscriber to Sega Visions, and waiting eagerly for the release of the Genesis. My cousin had a T-16 and while it was nice, I can't telling him how awesome the Genesis was gonna be. He was blown away by it also.Emerald_Warrior

From what I've read, the TG-16 was inaccurately marketed as a 16-bit system. It actually was built around an 8-bit processor. So the TG-16 isn't on the same level as the Genesis. The Genesis is a more capable machine.

I started with Super Mario brothers on the NES.

I was rasied on Nintendo consoles. I went from the NES, to the N64 to the Gamecube.

During the 16 bit era, I was still playing games on my NES. I guess I never saw the need to get an SNES. But I did eventually get an SNES after I got an N64.

I grew up on games like Mario Brothers, Mario 64, Zelda OOT and Sonic. (Although I also didn't own a Sega Genesis during the 16 bit era, my cousins did and we played Sonic a lot.)

I was very disppointed by the Gamecube. The only good exclusive games it had were Tales of Symphonia, Smash Bros. Melee, Mario Sunshine, Skies of Arcadia and Luigi's Mansion.

So I got a PS2 shortly after I got a Gamecube and ever since then, I defected from sheep to cow. The PS2 blew me away with it's huge library of awesome games. Games like Kingdom Hearts, Jak and Daxter, Dark Cloud and Sly Cooper are the games that made me become a cow. I'm still playing my PS2 today because there are so many great PS2 games I still haven't finished.

For a while, I was a bit of a Sony fanboy. But as I got older, I realized how stupid and pointless being a fanboy is.

Today I own a PS3 and 360. But I mostly game on my PS2.

In order:

Pong-1977

Intellivision-1981

Nes-1985

SNES-1992

PS1-1996

PS2-2001

PS3-2008

OK... Here we go! :D

2002 - I got SNES and I played it a lot! :D

2005 - First time I played on PSP

2006 - First time I played on NDS

2007 - I got PS2 and since this moment I'm a pro gamer :D

2008 - First time I played on Xbox 360

2010 - First time I played on PS3

I'm a gamer for... the decade! - Happy Anniversary to me! XD