Cerise Magazine

“Whoa, you know a girl gamer? That’s so cool!” My coworker relayed this quote to me from his teenaged nephew. Apparently my colleague had referenced me in a conversation regarding World of Warcraft and it had prompted this response. I was amused at the time; it wasn’t like I hadn’t heard the sentiment before. I generally take it as a positive thing to buck some expectations by doing nothing more than what I like.

But how did I come to the world of gaming? Let me count the ways:

How did I come to the world of gaming? Let me count the ways.

I was 10 when I broke my first Atari controller. I was playing Pong at the higher levels when things tended to go fast and furious. I guess the paddle controller wasn’t meant to go around quite that fast or that furiously.

The first time I played MechWarrior 4 against an opponent, I won. He had chosen an overpowered mech and fired off all his weapons at once, which of course overheated his system and the victory was mine without firing a shot. After I laughed at him for a good five minutes, we agreed to do a rematch. The second match I won fair and square by circle-strafing his hopping mech into an early demise. While my MechWarring career didn’t last too much longer, I still have my trusty joystick from those days.

Then there was the time I tried Half Life. I was pretty creeped out by the in-game situation. I jumped at every random noise and even found myself trying to peer around the monitor in an attempt to look around the in-game corner. I was relieved when I finally found a gun to wield instead of the crowbar I started off with, thinking I would be much more effective at defending myself. But my encounter with a headcrab around the following corner proved me wrong. I emptied the pistol I had and was switching to the crowbar when the alien creature jumped on my head and killed me. That’s when I decided I’m not the first person shooter type.

When I watched my boyfriend try to play The Sims the first time, my mouse hand itched. He almost always had a Sim falling asleep on the job, or peeing themselves or just generally being grumpy. Once I coaxed him to let me try (read: nudged him aside at the computer and claimed the mouse), things were much more orderly and the Sims were happier. Then I figured out how to make my own stories out of their lives, and the game was officially mine.

Then he brought home Final Fantasy VIII. At first I was only going to watch, captivated by Square’s graphics. I was enjoying myself, getting acquainted with the characters and the story without having to do all the button pushing. And then he didn’t play it for several days in a row and I really wanted to know what happened next. So I started my own game saves so that the story would go at the pace of my curiosity rather than his whim and we were both much happier. Incidentally, I’m the one that ended up finishing that game. I’m sensing a theme here.

I’m not sure at what point I earned the gamer title. I think that it could be an ongoing term, renewing itself with every experience.

Sometime later, a friend of ours came over to initiate him in the ways of Everquest. I hung out next to the computers and feigned disinterest. I had previously vowed not to play these graphical role-playing games – I came from the online text role-playing world of MUSHes and sneered at the idea of “role-play” in the graphical world. But I was intrigued despite myself and soon enough had my own account. It wasn’t long after that I surpassed his interest in the game even though it was his work friends we were playing with. My goal-oriented sensibilities along with my tendency for obsessing took over and soon he was following my lead through various adventures. I was the one strategizing with the guild over which zones to visit and which quests to embark upon during our weekly game nights. Our MMORPG adventures took us from Everquest to City of Heroes to World of Warcraft where I just let my account lapse in favor of some Playstation 2 gaming.

I’m not sure at what point I earned the gamer title. I think that it could be an ongoing term, renewing itself with every experience. I play video games for the fun of accomplishment – whether it’s achieving that next level, or exploring that new game area, finding out what happens in the story or creating my own story. I try new games because they look fun. When it’s no longer enjoyable, I move on because there’s always another one to go to. Sometimes I go back to old games because they look fun again. In the pursuit of fun, I’m sure my journey’s not over yet. So bring on the games, I’m ready to play.

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One Gamer’s Journey: To Pong and Beyond!

June 2007 Issue

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