5 Games That Influenced Me

I've been thinking about this a lot since...well, since I was told to think about this. I've come to the conclusion that the best way to go about this kind of thing is not to look at individual games but series of them. That means all sequels and prequels, good or bad. I can't look back on my life and just omit parts that were less than agreeable, can I? I'll answer for you. No, I can't. I've been playing video games for as long as I can remember. I'm the oldest child in my family so I had to fight with my parents constantly growing up about what is "normal" for a kid playing video games. I was maybe 6 or 7 when I got my Sega Genesis, and even then I knew better than them how to answer that question.

5 Game Series That Changed My Outlook on The Medium:

Mortal Kombat: Mortal Kombat 2 was the first game I was good at, and I know that because it's the first game in which I beat my father handily. The characters are so ingrained in my personality that I can't hear someone say the phrase "get over here" in any context whatsoever without thinking of Scorpion. While I disagree with the direction the games have been going lately, I still occasionally play the originals. One of my fondest gaming memories involves sitting in my friend's basement playing Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 for hours. He refused to use any character other than Shao Khan and was nigh impossible to take down. I finally beat him with Noob Saibot, but the fact that it took me 99 matches to win and how he would no shut up about it were a source of much frustration. This is the reason I'm fundamentally against making bosses playable characters under any circumstances.

Civilization: This series was my introduction to computer gaming, as well as insomnia. One more turn, one more turn, then the next thing I know the sun's coming up. And for a kid who had previously never stayed up past midnight, this was significant. I blame my parents for that. Who puts an IBM 3.1 with the original Civ in their kid's bedroom? Shame on them. It's because of that series of games that I am a history major today, and it was might first experience with a game that could also educate while still being ridiculously entertaining. The modern iterations of the series have advanced drastically in intricacy and presentation, but I still remember so clearly making my chariot square bump their spearman square until one crumbles. Also, I learned to always build walls, no matter what. Trust me.

Sonic the Hedgehog: "Sonic? Really? You know that Sonic is just Mario with rings, right?" Oh yeah? Can Mario use his own body in a pinball machine? I think not. The above quote is one I hear often when I utter the heretical statement, "I like Sonic more than Mario." It's true though. I'm not saying Mario isn't fun, but I grew up with a Genesis. The only Nintendo product I've ever owned in my entire life is a DS, and I've only had it for a few months. For me, Sonic is the epitome in platforming. Killing that bastard Dr. Robotnik was so satisfying as a 10 year old. And that's the thing; it was with Sonic that I learned of the sense of achievement that can come with video gaming. If you're playing Sorry! with your grandmother you aren't going to really be all that proud of yourself if you win, but you beat the hell out of Dr. Robotnik riding in his crazy mechanical suit thing, and damn if I didn't pat myself on the back.

Fallout: Before anyone asks, yes, I am one of those people that prefer the first two games in the series. I did love Bathesda's crack at it, but for me, I grew up with Black Isle's originals, and the quirkiness and dark humor were just more evident. Fallout as a series though represents the first time I felt the impact a great story can have on a video game. Would Fallout have been successful if it didn't have that story, or that humor, or that sense of utter desolation? Absolutely not. And that was achieved with good writing and good art direction working together, hand in hand, bringing the apocalypse to my computer monitor. Most of the games I had played before Fallout didn't really have much in the way of "story," save for one: SpaceQuest.

SpaceQuest: This game probably had the biggest impact on my childhood. Don't laugh, it's true. This is the series that killed my grades and introduced me to the wonders of a sedentary lifestyle. It's amazing. Being Roger Wilco, bumbling my way through the galaxy, was the greatest experience I've ever had with a video game. I've played all 6 iterations. It's the kind of game that makes me feel old, especially when I have this conversation with people: Them: "What the hell is SpaceQuest?" Me: "They just don't make 'em like this anymore." Or course, if I spoke in Hyperlink, I'd just say: "SpaceQuest." This series solidified for me what makes a top-notch gaming experience. SpaceQuest had humor. No matter how crappy the gameplay is in something, if it's absolutely hilarious, I'll still play it probably.

So that's me. Just like all the hipster kids use music to broadcast their personality to everyone, or movie nerds wear shirts that say "8 1/2", I have this list.