My addiction began during my birthday on July 22, 1994. When I became exactly five years old. My father had made a huge commotion during the party of how he had gotten me something that would blow my mind away. I was young and and very naive with an ingrained idea that something so incredibly special was inside the house, my imagination was just expanding and becoming full of vehement. The night approached, my father and mother with a huge smile on their face came up to me and said, "Are you ready for the present? It's waiting for you in your room". As soon as I heard that phrase end my heartbeat began to race, I dashed to my room, as I slowly turned into it, what I saw made my jaw drop straight to the ground. With a slick grey border, crispy red fonts, two slot ports for controllers, and a power / reset button, I was in fact facing my first video game system ever – the original Nintendo with Super Mario Brothers. I began playing with the system thinking to myself, "I will never let go of this controller, not as long as I can stay awake". I forgot all about the other presents in the party, or even about the guests at my house, the only thing in focus at that time, was rescuing Princess Peach from the clutches of the Koopa King, Bowser. And so it began, my addiction for video games, one level after another, I played my self out, as soon as I completed the game I was ready for the next one. I started to beg and plead my parents to buy me more and more games. In which this normally resulted in one every two to three months, but even that was fine as long as I chose the right game. Imagine, having to choose one game and if it was bad, you couldn't get another one until two months had passed. Now, you might be thinking, "What is it with this kid and video games? Are they really that much fun or was there no other entertainment out there? The truth is simple, I was a normal kid growing up, I played sports, had an active social life, and went to school, but the mental freedom that a video game could endow on you was just too addicting. The ability of controlling a character and having to beat your way through a level by jumping through obstacles or using super powers, gave the player the possibility of imaging oneself in those ecstatic situations. The most incredible feeling of all though, was that of accomplishment when you finally defeated the final boss, or collected the last star, because this signified you as "the best" or at least until the next game came out. As I got older so did the games and with time newer and superior consoles were released, such as the Nintendo 64 or the Playstation. These video game systems allowed designers the capability of creating games that were actually three dimensional and far more realistic than anything seen before. With only imagination holding them back, designers released an onslaught of games that I enjoyed; unknowingly these creations would later effect me on one of my most important decisions yet, choosing a career (Graphic Design). With the passage of time, I stand tall and proud around my 228 video games and my 15 game consoles (and counting), not shy to say I am a gamer, I am a future graphic designer, and I will never stop this special hobby of mine. Some may look at video games as a something negative people do, but I see it differently, they fill you with delight and teach you lessons. Games unsuspectingly help you not only discharge your negative vibes of daily life, they also encourage you to develop and embrace your thinking skills. Reflecting back on what happened that night of the birthday party, I'm sure my parents weren't expecting such a huge change in my life, but neither them nor I regret my encounter with video games.