Now before you start thinking this is some kind of blog commenting on our lives as human beings, stop, I actually want to talk about something a tad different. I want to talk about why we are gamers, hobbyist, or just geeks.

For a long time I've been pondering this question how did I become a gamer why am I a gamer? What made me so oddly interested in the niche? What exactly made me this way? Why do I love this medium so much?

The one game that really made me love video games had to be Final Fantasy 7. It was the first game of its kind that I've played.A new world was opened up to me, I started to see video games in a different way. I suddenly became obsessed with characters and story in video games. Soon enough I found myself  escaping to these awesome new worlds constantly anticipating each day because each day was another oppourtunity to be completely immersed in this new world. Eventually I began finding more and more games like it to feed my addiction. 

As I grew older my interest in these things began to grow beyond video games into more and more geeky things. I started getting into collecting. From comic books to toys to movies, if something was quirky and interesting I always had to drop all my money on it. My house became decorated with crazy vinyl toys and my shelves were stacked with movies and games. All of it fed my crazy obsession with the geek culture. I'm not sure why but something about being so engrossed in this world and always brought some kind of joy to me.Being around these things made me happy, it helped me forget all of the problems of the world. To me this was my way to indulge in something interesting and different.

To me videos game are a culture. Video games bring people together. They allow us to feel control over something (Something we tend to lack in real life to an extent). To me video games are an escape. I'm a geek because I love the culture, the people, and the world that video games have created today. Video games, the geek culture, brings people together, they bring us to places like Giant bomb, they bring us to places like PAX.  I'm a geek because I have a passion that grew in me a long time ago and places like Giant bomb just further allow me to idulge in my passion. Here I get to write about games and most importantly talk about games with people who have a passion for games like me.

I'm a gamer and thats that. Beyond that I apologize for this mini biography of me but I haven't blogged in a while and this was on my mind for a while but I would like to leave you off with a question before I go. What made you a Gamer? What say you Giant Bombers?

My first videogame system was the nes which I got at age 3 I think, although the most memmorable games that I remmember playing are super Ghouls 'N Ghosts and Killer Instinct, both for SNES oh and Adventure island for nes :3

Dude, the concept of a "geek" is from such a school mentality. Nobody cares about any of that stuff in the real world.

Having said that, I got hooked into gaming culture playing Mega Bomberman and Sonic on my Sega Mega Drive. Later I was playing Crash Bandicoot on my PSX and Age Of Empires 2 on my PC. It was the best education money could buy...

I love gaming because games take you to a more interactive experience than any movie or music could ever do. My first gaming addiction was AoE2 and Crash Team Racing on the PSone. But for me the most memorable experience i've gotten from a game is Twilight Princess, i love it.

I've often wondered what got me into gaming and that culture. I also love collecting things, but don't really do that so much because of moneyz. Its just fun, is all. It's interesting to keep up with and fun to experience, I guess. It's a mystery to me O.o

Ya like I said i use geek in a different way. Its not really with that highschool mentality, I use it to desribe any kind of people who like to get very involved in a hobby. I know alot of people who use the world like that. I took it out of the blog anyway.

I got into games by hanging out with my friends. It was a cool pastime but soon grew into a burning passion.

TC does not talk like this in real life.

Seriously. In real life he's more...Kinda like Jeff Gerstmann.

:P Just kidding.

But still. Very different. Kinda inane by comparison.

He's *so* 12.

People say I take games too seriously, and it's about fun and not winning. Well, fuck you! Winning is fun for me, losing isn't! Maybe the testosterone pumps too much into my body, but seriously, how can you consider losing fun? I agree to some extent, but don't chastise those of us who play games for the competition. I don't consider gaming a true "sport," but one cannot deny the similarities between them. I play video games to win, hell I live to win! (holy shit Brucie from GTA IV anyone?)

Just my 2 cents to everyone who says games are for just for fun!

Also, I was totally ready to write something about life and humanity as a whole, guess not.

My first games were the first Final Fantasy, The Legend of Zelda, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2, Battletoads, and various other NES games. I've been playing video games since before I was one year old. Not that anyone asked.

This is an interesting post.

Anyway, the game that made me a gamer was Pitfall on the Atari 2600. What made me fall in love with gaming, though, was probably Super Mario Bros. on the NES. I remember going from Pitfall to Mario and just being amazed by how much of an evolution there was. The graphics and controls on Mario were leaps and bounds above what Pitfall offered.

To this day, that is still the most exciting thing about this industry to me--watching how things evolve.

Zombies Ate My Neighbors on the SNES was the game that really got me hooked on gaming, and from there I got a PS1 with Parappa the Rapper, 2Extreme, and Jetmoto.

I can definitely agree with Rain_Dog that watching how the industry evolve holds things together quite nicely.

Great post, TokyoChicken, a really interesting read.

I've been playing games since I was about four years old, but I've only considered myself to be a gamer since around the age of ten or eleven. Much like yourself, the reason behind this is Final Fantasy VII. To me, it's the game that brought video games onto a level equal with films, books and music in terms of their value as both an entertainment medium and the experiences they can offer us. I also consider myself pretty geeky but I'm happy being that way. Like Rain_Dog and TheGTAvaccine, I love witnessing changes in the industry and how they have turned gaming into a widely accepted form of entertainment.

Happy gaming!