I was in my second year of high school and I had recently finished my first Final Fantasy game, Final Fantasy IV Advance on the GBA.

This ought to be a fun thread! I was in my second year of university, hating life and being depressed as all hell. Luckily, I managed to pick up a little game called Final Fantasy XII on sale and basically spent most of November and December of that year journeying through Ivalice. To this day it remains my favorite mainline Final Fantasy game.

I had just finished college and was starting my first full-time job. In gaming terms, I was also playing a lot of World of Warcraft (TBC was very close to release).

I was just finishing up college and beginning FFXII - the last true modern Final Fantasy game (and greatest, subject to me playing FFXV).

Had just come home to Sweden from a year in Canada at the university I dropped out of. Had just started university here in Sweden (which I would later drop out of). Gaming wise I got my XBOX 360 in November 2006. I got depression and things were generally pretty bad for a few years.

10 years ago? Let's see I was in my second year of high school, and I'm pretty sure I got FFXII for Christmas from my brother. I never ended up beating that one and I still kind of regret it. Solid game, that one.

I was a Freshman in high school. I don't really remember what I was playing - whatever it was, it was still on the PS2 or Gamecube. I was probably still playing Ratchet: Deadlocked or Star Wars Battlefront 2 a whole hell of a lot. I didn't get a 360 until Christmas of '07. I got a PSP for Christmas of '06

At that point in my life, I hadn't played any Final Fantasy games and my family only had one computer, some cheap Compaq that my Dad bought in 2001. Kinda like one Dan Ryckert, I thought "turn based combat? Lame!" and avoided RPG's as much as I could, which was a huge mistake because I could have played some really great games in their heyday. I did play Kingdom Hearts 1, 2, and Chain of Memories back then, however, so that's something I guess.

3rd year of HS.

16.

Driving my first car for the first time.

Not realizing how difficult game dev would be (what's programming?).

Hanging with friends I would later selfishly abandon.

Well it was more than 10 years ago I downloaded that very trailer off of gamespot during E3 2006, Along with MGS4 and FFXIII's trailers, I was 19!

I remember them saying this was tetsuya nomura's concept that he will work on in his free time but atm all his time is being put into kingdom hearts 2's EU release.

Fast forward to November of 06 I was in a pretty bad place in my life but games wise I had just got a PS3 with Genji 2 days of the Blade and Mobile Suit Gundam Crossfire, Although that PS3 was used to play PS2 games such as Final fantasy XII and Dragon Ball Z Sparking NEO rather than PS3 games, It was an investment.....For MGS4 , DMC4, FFXIII and VersusXIII (Don't do that ....EVER!)

10 years ago I was in college, and a human being capable of being really, really excited about Final Fantasy. That trailer blew me away and left me ridiculously excited.

Now I'm an adult. Every other aspect of my life is much better, but the most enthusiasm I can muster for FFXV is morbid curiosity.

10 years ago I'd been medically retired from my job and had had to sell my house. The real kick in the teeth though was that I also had to sell my Galaga machine because I was moving from a 4 bedroom house to a 1 bedroom apartment.

I'm back on my feet again now but still don't have another arcade cabinet. It's all Final Fantasy's fault.

I was a junior in high school, Final Fantasy XII had come out in March. My gaming friends hated Vaan, liked that XII shared the Ivalice setting, and were worried about the "Fabula Nova Crystalis" stuff they were pitching for XIII. The battle system of XII was a major turn off for most of my friends, but I liked how it let you 'program' your AI party members even though you didn't have direct control. It had been five years since Final Fantasy X, and the MMO was totally inaccessible to us unemployed console gamers. Star Ocean III and Xenosaga had helped me scratch my JRPG itch.

I was...8 years old...

I was 26, what was I doing? Whatever the hell I wanted! SWEET SWEET FREEDOM! Don't squander it kids, or do or whatever.

10 years ago I was 11 years old in 6th grade and really excited for whatever Final Fantasy Versus XIII was going to be. I was also astonished in how beautiful and different Final Fantasy XIII looked from the PS1 FF games I had played. It was a weird time for Final Fantasy. And now here we are today, Final Fantasy Versus XIII/XV is finally out. I still remember the excitement I felt two years ago when Nomura revealed that the game was still alive, and the insanity at the end of the trailer when the logo shattered and rebuilt itself as "Final Fantasy XV." I am impatiently waiting for my long day of work and class to be over so I can end this decade-long wait.

edit: it was THREE years ago that they changed the name, not two.

I was a senior in High School when this was announced thinking "how the hell am I going to buy a PS3!? They're $600!!!!"

Side note : Wasn't the original title of this of "Versus XIII" the idea was SE was debating between what combat systems to use going forward? XIII was a take on a more traditional JRPG Battle system where Versus was a KH style system? 10 years is a long time. Fast forward to 2009, I remember playing FFXIII and getting to chapter 11 and thinking "God I hope Versus is better...".

If i remember right, the 2006 E3 Square-Enix announced Final Fantasy XIII,Versus XIII, Type-0 , and XIV.

There's been 10 Call of Duty games released since the initial showing of the first trailer. The entire Gears of War franchise has existed in that time. The Marvel Cinematic Universe did not start for 2 years.

I was in my room watching the press conference with my sister, we were both sooooo bored throughout the whole thing, and then this trailer came on and it looked so badass. Can't believe it took so long to come out.

Depressed and swinging Link's sword around with a remote

Kinda surprised to see so many suffered from depression back then. I did too and didn't really want to bring it up until I read the other replies.

I really don't remember anything about 2006 other than going back and forth between psychiatry examinations and the employment agency's support programs.

Same. I was just a happy-go-lucky teenager in 2006 that had just discovered that I could look up video game news on the internet and who really wanted to buy a Wii in order to play Twilight Princess. Depression would come a few years later in college.

Sorry if I brought up any bad memories for some people with this thread.

I would've just started highschool, so that means probably the year I started playing JRPGs on the recommendation of friends, and about the time I started getting really into games. I don't think I even knew FF13 existed until about 2 years later, so I obviously wasn't following any kind of news up until around then. It might have also been the first year I played a Final Fantasy game (XII).

I was most likely still playing a lot of Gears of War MP. I still remember getting rejected at two stores trying to buy that. Of course the first year where my parents didn't want to pay for games anymore, is the one where an awesome 18+ game comes out. I saved up money for the 360 almost exclusively to play GoW lol. A simpler time for sure.

06 wasn't the most game heavy year for me, and I would've already finished up Okami months before that. So not much else comes to mind.

Other than that, 6th grade, 13 years old. Just cruising through school more or less. That wasn't too memorable of a year.

I was 23, out of college, looking for a job during the beginning of the last recession. Believe i had gotten a 360 the end of the year with Oblivion and fight night(not sure though). I was still pretty deep into final fantasy despite only ever completing FF 7, and was still optimistic about the new FF 13 releasing and waiting for that and MGS4 to come out to get a ps3(when the price dropped)

I was in seventh grade ten years ago. This was the beginning of my expanding out from playing "just Nintendo" games, and the start of gaming becoming a huge part of my life. I would be about a month away from spending all of Christmas being absolutely blown away by the Wii and Wii Sports.

Moved back to Texas for senior year of HS after three years of living in Hawaii. Miserable. Working late hours at a mall Mexican restaurant after school, driving about 80 miles roundtrip every day. Part of a progressive rock band that traveled around West Texas and had some measure of success before I quit over band drama. Listening to a lot of Animal Collective and Xiu Xiu. Confused about girls. Definitely into video games, but not as sick as I am now. It wasn't a great year for me, but I got out and things improved. Still, can't believe we're getting this and Last Guardian within a week of each other.

3rd year of undergrad. I don't remember exactly when I played FFXII, but I enjoyed it. I was probably getting started on term papers at the end of November, but the details are really hard to place. That was a pretty good year of college--I made the decision to extend my English major with a second major in Philosophy.

Now I'm in New York City working on a MA in Bioethics. I wrote a novel in-between then and now, but it remains unpublished. Finishing what I hope will be the final revision is at the top of my list of priorities over winter break.

Sophomore year of high school; enjoying Kingdom Hearts II (along with Burnout Revenge, Star Wars Battlefront 2 and Ratchet Deadlocked), New Found Glory albums, a pre-YouTube internet, Fullmetal Alchemist, and having some misadventures with women with NFG as the soundtrack.

I was a sophomore in college and I had just bought an Xbox 360 with Gears of War

I had just left on my first deployment to the middle east. My wife was pregnant with our eldest child, who would be born in a couple of months. Those first few months of that deployment felt like ten years. I did have a psp with me but I don't remember playing all that much. I do remember beating Metal Gear Solid: Portable-Ops at some point or another. Two more kids and many many grey hairs later that experience seems like a million years ago.

I feel very old at the moment.

Being incredibly bored at the university. Thank God that was the year I discovered the immense escapism potential of anime, since video games alone weren't cutting it anymore. Also, playing a ton of Oblivion and being excited for Episode Two and Three of Half-Life (hoo boy).

10 years ago I was a systems administrator and computer consultant, living in California (I'm in Colorado now), and I had just moved into my first house the year prior. I was playing a lot of Trackmania Sunrise and sent myself an email as a reminder to check out the those hot new Crysis videos.

I rented the DVD of Princess Mononoke from Netflix and thought it was great. I still own the pants I bought that year.

My application to Youtube to be part of their "Director Program" so I could post videos longer than 10 minutes was approved. I made use of this by posting a 12 1/2 minute music software tutorial, then didn't make use of it again for nearly 4 years.

I attempted to buy a handheld GPS device from Radio Shack but they messed up my order, so I didn't get it. I didn't really need it though, because I didn't go out that much.

Oh and I have zero recollection of seeing the horror movie "Unrest" but I have a receipt for two tickets and an email asking a friend if he wanted to go. Clearly a memorable film.

10 years ago I was 17 and a complete idiot. Now I'm only a partial idiot.

10 years ago I was in high school, working a near full time retail job, and spending all my spare time in World of Warcraft.

Now I'm a stay at home father of two, did a full honorable tour in the United States Navy, and spend all my spare time in World of Warcraft......

More things change, more they stay, eh?

I was 20 and being blown the fuck away by the Crysis hype train. Got a 360... and that was kind of it. 2006 was pretty uneventful for me.

Also, it's super crazy that in my years of gaming, I went from the DOS/Win 3.0 (not even the famous 3.1) era to Crysis all before being old enough to drink.

A little after Final Fantasy VERSUS XIII was announced, I cosplayed as Noctis for MCM London ComicCon. I was 11.

I was a sophmore in HS. Still playing CS:S nonstop at that point. I was also super high on the DX10 and Crysis hype train.

10 years ago today, surprisingly I remember quite well.

I was a senior in high school, earlier that month I had just bought a 360. I worked part time at a local grocery store which basically paid for fast food, gas and video games, essentially the only stuff I cared about in high school

Well today is my birthday, so celebrating my 13th birthday, probably getting sushi.

I remember reading reading the two articles GameInformer had on FFXIII and FFXIII Versus back when they were announced...

I was a junior in high school. This was also my last year, since I took a bunch of extra classes. I was a super awkward kid dealing with common super awkward high school problems. At this point, I was in my second year of a multimedia / film elective program with the dream that I would go to film school and become the next big Hollywood director. (Kubrick was my idol) Around this time either my brother and/or one of my best friends worked at an AMC, so I could get into movies for free or see them early through a test screening. Around 2005 to 2007, I can't remember which year exactly, I saw about 50 movies a year in a theater, mostly for free. (I never went to film school, although I looked at the University of Kansas's film program, the one one Dan Ryckert graduated from, twice)

My favorite game at the time was probably Metal Gear Solid 3. I have no idea what I was playing at the time, although it was probably on a 360. Earlier that year I spent about 20 hours mainlining through Oblivion. Maybe I was still messing around with the Warcraft III custom game scene that wasn't Dota.

I was excited to play both Final Fantasy XIII and Final Fantasy Versus XIII.

i was a freshman in high school. making new friends other than the friends i grew up with (who I haven't spoken to in years). Now I been a university graduate for about a year and my youngest brother is on the verge of

graduating high school. basically many significant life things have happened since then and now

PS. i think this is when I discovered emulators and played FF7 for the first time.

Senior in high school. Still have never finished a FF game

I was 15, so what like a sophomore in high school? I must have been playing a lot of Gears and Halo at the time-never played a FF game. I've been thinking a lot about high school recently and how I wish I enjoyed it more. Junior and Senior year were the most fun times I've ever had and all I wanted to do was grow up. Now here I am, dreaming of the days I had all the time in the world and very little responsibilities.

Ten years ago I would have been 19 years old and would have been recently fired from my first job, so to recover from that nightmare job (and the fallout that came with it) I was playing through Final Fantasy 9 for the first time and enjoying the hell out of it.

Ten years ago - I was in High School. I was a big fan of Final Fantasy, just beginning to finish each game in the series for the first time. Maybe eleven or twelve years ago I decided that if I couldn't see even one game in the series to completion, I couldn't claim to be a real fan. By this point, I'd maybe completed IV, VI, and XII, maybe VII or IX, too. Since then, I've completed every main numbered single player entry except I and II.

I was actually at the E3 where this was shown. You could sign up to sit in a small makeshift theater room and watch all the footage from Fabula Nova Crystallis suite of upcoming games. I remembered thinking it looked insane at the time and that it probably would be a long time before it would come out. I guess I was right about that. To the person that said FFXIV was shown, no that wouldn't be debuted for another 3 years. I was a HUUUUGE FFXI player back then and the first glimpses of FFXIV were such a troll for the non-MMO players. It was this awesome looking trailer of this fight on a boat in a stormy sea then the title card: FINAL FANTASY XIV...... (wait for it)........ Online.

I was working at Gamestop, and a senior in high school. It's crazy how long this has been. I remember when all of this was announced and how AMBITIOUS it was. Fabula Nova Crystalis.. man. Haha. Crazy.

still living in Quebec. in college playing final fantasy, almost for 10 years then

@freedom4556: Well fwiw the MMO was a PS2 game (later on 360), though that wouldn't have helped the unemployed part.

I was midway through high school, probably the only time in my life where I was primarily a console gamer instead of a PC gamer, as in that era there was just so much I liked on the PS2.

Second year of college, first year of marriage. I'd just flown back from taking my wife to her first Thanksgiving.

I was 9 and in 4th grade; listening to the latest Tool album 10,000 Days