I was a gamer for most of my childhood. I remember sitting around our Commodore 64 with my brothers taking turns at Rush'n Attack, Qix, Boulder Dash and others. Being the youngest by a few years I of course could never match their skill, but it was fun trying. Years later when the NES came out I would do the same thing at friend's houses, as we couldn't afford one. In fact, I don't think we got a NES until most people I knew had moved on to better systems. I would again sit around with them, again never beating their best. They had all the time in the world to master these games, and I had precious little time to learn their secrets and hints so I could at least make for a decent challenger or partner. I probably didn't get much personal gaming time until college. So many people had systems, at this time the N64. Friends would get hit with work, and I'd be able to sneak a hour or two here and their trying to memorize layouts in Goldeneye. But college being what it was for me, there just wasn't much time for any of it, and I played less and less.

It was towards the end of my college days when I found myself having more free time, and came across something interesting - ROMs. I can't remember who I heard about them from, all I remember is that suddenly the entire back catalogue of games I had missed out on was available to me on the internet. Even though the legality was questionable, I soon decided that these old gems were worth it. Super Metroid, A Link to the Past, Super Mario 64, and Zelda Ocarina of Time were all played for the first time on my computer at college in my 20s. In fact, Ocarina got me so hooked people were scared I was going to fail my senior thesis because I played so much. The story and gameplay and emotion I felt with that game were nothing I thought possible before. I also started playing Unreal Tournament with friends. While not a great game, it introduced me to the social aspects of gaming that the internet allowed for. With my newfound interest I started finding gaming websites, and whole communities of people who knew what I hadn't for so long. It allowed me to find great games and stay clear of the bad. It's been a rush of games since then. I'm more a gamer now than I ever was before. And I keep finding old games to go back to and try again, or even for the first time.

I could write about how Zelda and Metroid changed my life forever (and they did), but it wasn't just the games. It wasn't having games imprinted on me at a young age. It was finding that people had taken the time to make sure others got the chance to play. It was the community I found who shared my interests. Even now most of my friends aren't really gamers, but I always feel a connection every time I see someone getting as excited as me for an upcoming title, or sharing an eerily similar gaming experience. A special thanks to Retroforce Go and all their groupies, as I still find gems to go back to thanks to you guys. Now if you'll excuse, I'm going to play some Boulder Dash.