MY WORLD OF GAMING

MY WORLD OF GAMING

Q1: WHAT IS THE FIRST GAME YOU EVER OWNED?

This is a difficult question to answer, because the first games I owned were my mother's. My mother was a hardcore gamer in her day, and collected a lot of Playstation 1 and 2 games by the time I was born.

However, the first game my mother bought for me was on the 22 of September, 2005 to buy me Ultimate Spiderman on the day of it's release at Walmart. It was a gift to me for my entry into Kindergarten. I have fond memories of that game, but I had not finished it: I had gotten so far as the Green Goblin car lift scene before I lost the game.

It was when I turned 10 that I bought the game off of Amazon to finish what I started. My favourite childhood game was finally in my grasp so I could finish the story. I felt such accomplishment.

Q2: WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CONSOLE?

If I remember correctly, My first console was the original Playstation. The only game I had for it was my babysitter's Hot Wheels games, because the other games we had were much too mature for a 3 year old.

The first console I really started playing into was the second Playstation, where I played Ultimate Spiderman, Wrath Unleashed, Baldurs Gate (the series), Legacy Of Kain: Defiance and many more.

Q3: WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE GAME(S)?

I bought my favourite game on the boxing day of 2012, and have been obsessed with Far Cry 3 ever since. The story is so captivating, and convinces you that you are Jason Brody, the main protagonist.

I found it was a very relatable game to my life in many scenarios, going to the point both I and the character have a girlfriend named Liz. The game is just so addicting, and I have achieved all the trophies along with beaten the game on every level of difficulty. It is just a game I can play over and over and never get bored of.

Not to mention the game was made in Canada, my home country! So it is also a big piece of national pride and inspiration.

Q4: WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE CONSOLE(S)?

I would have to say PS3, without a single argument. As you can see in my collection, I have an outstanding number of PS3 games, mainly being that is the console I am mainly on. I love the controller scheme and network that it provides, and the XMB is very easy to understand.

Sure, it may not have some of the great games that it"s predecessor had, such as the LoK series (Soul Reaver 2, Blood Omen 2, Defiance) or Wrath Unleashed, but it is host to many of my favourite games and never ceases to entertain me.

Q5: WHY DID YOU START COLLECTING GAMES?

In truth, it all started on a weekend of 1998, When my grandparents were out and my mother and uncle Mike sat down and fully beat Diablo in a single weekend. All quests, all maps, all characters, all difficulties, everything.

Because it was then that my mother started her collection of games that carried out long after I came around. When I was old enough, I had started playing the games that my mom collected and it was then that I really got into video games and started adding on to the collection my mother started.

It is all thanks to my mother that I now have over 130 games. Sure, I lost a LOT of games along the way, but I have gained many more than I have lost. So if you're reading this mom, thank you for making me the man I am now.

Q6: WHAT DO VIDEO GAMES MEAN TO YOU?

This has got to be the biggest question on here, which is why it was left as my finale. What DO video games mean to me? Well, I suppose they are a culmination of art, music, computer code and interactive entertainment, right? Well, that is the meat and bones of it, but why don't we go into the soul of it? To explain this, I am going to start by stating that I was born with mild Asperger's, which means I have always had a problem with explaining myself or relating to people.

But when I started diving into video games, I had always used examples from some of my favourite games to explain what I was thinking. I could also relate to some of the problems that the characters had in-game, which made it easier for me to develop a relationship with the games.

And it really started to pay off when I got older, because of the fact I was exposed to video games from birth, I learned from the characters I played. I learned to let go and forgive with Ezio Auditore, I learned to appreciate my friends with Jason Brody, and I learnt about how to love with all sorts of characters, such as Starkiller from Force Unleashed, Ezio Auditore from Assassin's Creed, and many more.

I learned decision making, how to make friends, how to handle money, and how to live life to the fullest all from video games. Video games has raised me from the start, and if it weren't for the beautiful stories and characters I fought alongside with, I would not have such a beautiful girlfriend, so many great friends, an understanding for where I stand in life, or an education on money and history.

Video Games were a personal school for me, and I came out of some bad trauma all with the help of Ubisoft, Bethesda, Lucasarts, EA games, and many more talented companies. So back to that question: what do video games mean to me? They are my life. And because of that, I have devoted myself to them, and started to learn how to make them myself, because I want to give back, and create beautiful stories, music, and art for all the world, as those companies did for me and so many others. That's what it means to me.

By Ciaran Shuart

@CapruxSolder11

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