What made you a gamer?

Finishing a game is such an amazing feeling, until you realize that you don't have a new game to start! There are some games that never truly end...like online games or building games (I love playing Little Big Planet myself) but for the most part the game ends and you're left hoping that there's going to be a next one. I'm still waiting on the next Kingdom Hearts game that has been talked about for years now (and not the side stories or prequels...I'm talking about a true continuation of the series). All this got me thinking, what made you a gamer?

Did you start humming the theme song?

Personally, my love of video games came from my mother. She loved playing the original Super Mario Bros on the NES. I loved watching her play and she would always let me play her guy and after I killed him a few times, she would take back over and work on getting some 1ups. My mom had so many games for the NES. There was Mario (1,2, and 3), The Legend of Zelda, Pac Man, racing games...so many more than I can remember at the moment and I tried to play as many as I could.

 The first game console I owned was the Sega Genesis and of course the game to play was Sonic! I spent hours playing Sonic and as much as I hate to admit it...I never beat the final battle of the game! Truth be told, the first game I beat completely on my own was the first Kingdom Hearts on my ps2. (Don't make fun but I always had people want to show me how to beat bosses) I also played some Disney games on my Sega like the Aladdin game and the game for Beauty and the Beast. I also had a Pac Man game for the Sega but I didn't really play it too much. I also loved to play this game called Toejam and Earl. It was a strange game but it was fun to play and had catchy music in the background. (Kudos if you know what I'm talking about!)

 After the Sega, I went back to Nintendo and played the N64. I love Mario games. The games I played the most were Super Mario 64 and Super Smash Bros. (On a side note, I have the Smash Bros for the Wii and its nowhere near as fun as the one I used to play on the N64!)

Next I found my way to Sony and fell for the playstation 2. My first ps2 game was Final Fantasy X which I spent hours playing. A tip for those who are thinking about playing a Final Fantasy game for the first time...invest in the strategy guide. There are so many steps and level ups that you will need to fight your final boss. These games are a lot of fun, but they take a lot of work and time. Of course I became addicted to Kingdom Hearts from the moment I started to play it (Final Fantasy meets Disney...come on! What's not to love?)

Sora battles Giant Ursula

 I also discovered a fun game called Sing Star which I can't even begin to count how many times my best friend and I have played it...and Dance Dance Revolution! 

Of course I must mention the fighting games that I've played over the years: Street Fighter, Mortal Combat, and Tekken. To be honest I'm not great at these games. I do try to learn the special move combos but when my character is about to die, I just hit every button and hope for the best.

I've also owned a few of the handheld games like Gameboy, Gamegear, DS, and PSP. I think that I've played the Gamegear more than any other. I used to take that thing everywhere!

So whether you're a casual gamer or a hardcore master gamer, I'd like to know what games you're playing now or hope to play as soon! Come on readers...it's time to level up!