Rewind to the Christmas of '99. I had just turned 5 years of age back in November. I'd just finished opening my gifts. Now I'll admit I was spoiled by my parents quite a bit as a child, but sometimes such circumstances can lead to a group of significant events in ones life. That event for me, came in two small sized packages, those packages to me were containers that held the catalyst that started a lifelong obsession. What I had found in those packages was a brand new Kiwi Green Game Boy Color, and a copy of Toy Story 2 for the aforementioned gaming machine. The thoughts going through my young mind at the moment of comprehending what I had just received as a gift were those of excitement, curiosity, and the impatience to start playing around with my newly found hobby. Needless to say, that Game Boy Color presented many years of entertainment. Eventually I had acquired a plethora of various games, but one in particular has always stood out to me as the game that amplified my outlook on the industry to the nth degree. That game which had such an impact was Pokemon Crystal Version. It not only enhanced my love for the Pokemon franchise (I'll tell that story in a future blog). But it showed me not only how expansive games were at the time, but later on in my life it reinforced the concept of what video games could become in the future. Not just simple mini games like Pong or Arkanoid, but full on worlds with detailed locations, intriguing characters, and thought provoking stories. While my start into gaming also included the acquisition of a Nintendo 64, that's another story for another day, as playing my first home gaming console opened up another world of possibilities.
But for now, I must sign off. In the coming days I will have not only more stories of my own life as a gamer, but stories of current events from this industry I've grown to love so much.
Yours Truly,
mastergsg(Gregory)