The video game that got you into gaming

[Crispee]

Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. The game was originally my Dad's, and once he'd finished it I gave it a bash, granted I was rather young so my undeveloped mind couldn't wrap around the Water Temple, years later after having finished quite a few other games, I went back to it and finally completed it. I doubt I couldn't gotten much better than OoT for my first game.

 

[TheCrownlessKing]

Hey You, Pikachu.

A stupid game now a days, but back in the day when I was a kid I loved that game. It was so much fun being able to talk to the pokemon, even though half the time Pikachu didn't listen. It was my first game I ever got, but in the moment I began playing I was hooked on games. Now I play more mature games, but it still is fun to remember how simple Hey You, Pikachu was.

 

[YouBecame]

Doom. That game rocked so hard! . I still play it nowadays, truth be told!

 

[Asuka Soryu]

No frakking clue. I was a very young kid when I got my SNES from my parents.

As far back as I can remember, I think a Starfox Game is the furthest I can think back to. I just played games throughout my childhood, nothing really made a huge impact, there was a space-ship shooter on the PS1 I did quite enjoy, but nothing as huge as people who had Mario or Zelda blow them away.

 

[Magicmad5511]

Spyro: Rypto's Rage. One of the earliest games I remember. The game that got me into online gaming was Halo 3 though.

 

[J-dog42]

I think it was Age of Empires. I loved that game. Then I went on to RA2. Strangely I don't play many RTS games any more.

 

[Lust]

Saw the other thread and posted there first. I didn't see this one..........sorry. :s

Anyways:

Megaman X and The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past.

I was around three or four years old when my mom had bought a SNES off my uncle. I saw the cover for megaman and my tiny mind went nuts. I mean, it was a guy with a cannon for an arm blowing up robots. It was awesomeness overload. I think it also helped that the music was so good.

Then, I popped in Zelda and from there I was hooked. I fell in love with the story. And to this day, it is still my favorite Zelda.

It sucks now, because, I broke the cartridge. >:l

 

[ChaosEternal]

I'd have to say the game that got me into gaming was Super Mario 64. My parents used to read the words to me before I could read and play late into the night to get stars for me. I also played some other N64 games and GBA games, but I remember SM64 especially.

 

[Raesvelg]

Pong.

 

[TheTinyMan]

Quest For Glory [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quest_for_glory], then known as "Hero's Quest," in 1989. (glad to see I'm not the oldest gamer here ^.^)

Spoiler: Fanboy gushing that begins with the phrase 'It isn't an exaggeration to say that this series changed my life'

It isn't an exaggeration to say that this series changed my life. It got me into gaming, reading, folklore, and history. Discussion among characters in the game presented me with a moral code that my young self latched onto (and I still obsess over Paladins to his day ^.^). Gaming itself got me interested in computers, and now I program them for a living.

Imagine an RPG with Oblivion-style advancement (but remove the concept of the "level" entirely). Add a dialogue system that allows you to *type whatever you want to say* to an NPC. (and the developers in this particular game and I were almost always on the same page as far as phrasing, I rarely had any of the famous "HOW DO I EXPRESS THIS CONCEPT TO THIS BUFFOON!?" that a lot of people complained about within the genre). Add classes, but classes who can, with the right build, completely encompass one another's abilities (i.e. a thief can learn all spells, and a mage can learn to fight as well as any fighter), non-linear quests, puzzles that (with a few exceptions) MADE SENSE (also unheard of in the genre), beautiful (for the day) renderings of the mythologies and geologies in question, and the classic Sierra hilarious-death-messages, and you have a game series that I am still proud to introduce people to, over two decades later. (gods, I'm old.)

Granted, the type-to-talk-or-describe-your-action interface went away after the second game in the series, which brought forth a wail of grief from mine breast. And the fifth game didn't halfway live up to the rest (and really didn't live up to the hype...they promised me co-op! In an RPG! :-( ) ... but I'd still heartily recommend checking the games out, if you can find them.



SO MANY FLOPPIES. :'(

Edit: Quest for Glory I wasn't the first game that my four-year-old self had played, but it was what *really* got me into gaming.

 

[thecoreyhlltt]

pong and tetris were the first games i played. and i suppose the reason they hooked me was they made me feel awesome, not only about myself but... idk man, they just made life better. scratch that, they MAKE life better XD

 

[camsha]

spongebob squarepants battle for the bikini bottom

 

[buffalodriver87]

DREAMCAST WIN!!!
Crazy Taxi and Jet Grind Radio

Amazing music great controls and a story (or lack there of for the latter) that could be played over and over again!!
^_^

 

[PorkChopXpress]

I owe everything to this game.

 

[Grotch Willis]

Super Mario World was the game that introduced me to gaming.

 

[Rangerboy87]

It had to be my first game...Super Mario/Duck Hunt w/ the orange gun. I became a fan and have stayed that way. I've had a nes, genesis (gave away my nes for it), and all three playstations; only recently got rid of the genesis and ps1 cause they finally gave up the ghost.

 

[Kroxile]

Mario Bros/Duck Hunt. Man, those were the days, lol

 

[captaincabbage]

Spyro 1. Every time this topic pops up on the forums I'll say the same thing.

 

[SageRuffin]

Short and sweet, Sonic the Hedgehog.

He was cool, he was blue, and goddamn was he fast.

 

[Cuniculus]

Super Mario Brothers world. The only game to this day I can play over and over and not get bored.