When did games become a passion for you?

Its been a while since I blogged, but just now I was waxing lyric about Descendents and Bad Religion to someone who wanted some Punk to listen to. Now music and games are probably two of my biggest hobbies/passions.  
 
Now music I know I only became properly interested in my first year of uni, MUSE was the catalyst for that.  
 
Games on the other hand  I become really passionate about the year my brother bought me a Playstation (which was 96). Never has a grey box bought a boy so many hours of joy. I think the key to games becoming a major pass time was the fact that out of the 4 of us in my friendship group 3 had PS's and we spent ages around each others houses playing, swapping, talking about games and trying to out do each other in which ever game we were playing.  
 
So the Playstation was the catalyst, and the game that did it was the original society destroying crime sim... GTA.  
 
I blame my years of drug abuse, prostitute beating and OAP bothering on that game... 
 
So what about you guys when did you become a gamer?

Its been a while since I blogged, but just now I was waxing lyric about Descendents and Bad Religion to someone who wanted some Punk to listen to. Now music and games are probably two of my biggest hobbies/passions.  
 
Now music I know I only became properly interested in my first year of uni, MUSE was the catalyst for that.  
 
Games on the other hand  I become really passionate about the year my brother bought me a Playstation (which was 96). Never has a grey box bought a boy so many hours of joy. I think the key to games becoming a major pass time was the fact that out of the 4 of us in my friendship group 3 had PS's and we spent ages around each others houses playing, swapping, talking about games and trying to out do each other in which ever game we were playing.  
 
So the Playstation was the catalyst, and the game that did it was the original society destroying crime sim... GTA.  
 
I blame my years of drug abuse, prostitute beating and OAP bothering on that game... 
 
So what about you guys when did you become a gamer?

when I was younger my friends all had some game system, that is all everyone talked about, so it was something I'd always wanted but could never afford.  Then I won a sega genesis in a raffle, it was awesome, later I bought a NES; and then of course I got the N64 and it blew me away; from then on I was hooked. 

Ahh the N64, I remember my mate lending it me to play Conkers Bad Fur day when I smashed my own face in with a brick, It hurt to laugh as hard as it made me laugh... 
Plus it was my first exposure to the multilayer mayhem that is Mario Kart (now I wish I hadn't sold my Wii)

There is no passion in video games - only hardcore fisting!

Started gaming at 5 when my dad brought home an NES. Been really into games since 8 when I got my SNES. Began PC gaming (and masturbation -- another passion) at 12 when we finally got a home computer and the internet. Learned to build a PC because of gaming and joined an adult Team Fortress Classic clan in the mean time, but I wasn't truly passionate about gaming until later on in highschool at around age 17 in 2001.

I've played games since i was like 2 but i only really became passionate about them in November 2007.

Probably when I realised 99% of people at my school where douchebags and playing games was 100 times better then hanging out with them.

They were a childish passion around back in 2006. I've matured since then, and gotten a lot more serious in keeping up to date on video gaming news, and sharing my opinions about video gaming topics etc.

I don't know when exactly it happened for me.  As long as I can remember I loved videogames.  By the time I got a NES and Gameboy I was already completely obsessed with videogames.

It all started with my Genesis

Since I picked up my Sega Genesis back in the day.

I played Pong in the 70's and my family bought an Atari 2600 in '79, but it was a family thing. When I got out of the Navy, my family bought a NES when it was released, but still, a family machine. I got my very on console when my girlfriend, now wife, bought me a SNES. That's when I became the most passionate about video games. It's grown and grown and grown since that machine.

In 1998 when I first played MGS. First playthrough; LEGENDARY! The hundreds of other times i completed the game it was just as awesome.

The NES/gameboy days

"

Probably when I realised 99% of people at my school where douchebags and playing games was 100 times better then hanging out with them.

"

Ooooo B.R! Nice. Games really  became a passion when I realized I was good at them and enjoyed playing them. So around when I was like 5, the dawn of the SNES!

I started playing on my PC and Nintendo 64, but it really started kicking in when I bought the Game Cube. After that I got again into PC with my friends, specially strategy games. Finally I bought the PS2 and later on the PS3 and that is were I got serious about it.

Around the same time i was playing The Legend of Zelda OOT

When I played Super FX Racer for the SNES. Then Snowboard Kids for the N64. I loved racing games back then. I have really kinda lost interest in keeping interest with games. Still play a lot, but don't know the latest stuff.

It really became a passion when, oddly enough, I saw the trailer on IGN for Starfox Adventures.  I thought it looked amazing and I wanted a Gamecube just to play that game.  I was a gamer before that, though, and played games like Zelda: OoT and Majora's Mask, but that made me get interested in gaming news and stuff.