SweetieGames

It has been nearly 20 years since I received my first console. For Christmas in 2006, my brother and I were gifted a shiny new PlayStation 2 Slim, along with a couple of games. Neither of us had really played video games before; we still had dial-up internet, we hadn’t really explored the realms of online gaming and we didn’t know anybody else who owned a console, so this was a dive into the unknown for us.

The first video game I ever experienced was the platformer Scooby Doo Unmasked, which myself and my brother revisited fairly recently and found it’s actually still a challenge due to its 3D environment and fixed camera angles. We also enjoyed playing Sonic Riders together (which we still play to this day on our original PS2!) and my brother had one of those cool steering wheel controllers for playing The Simpsons Hit and Run, a classic that I dabbled in but never truly got into.

I enjoyed playing games on the PS2, but I found games truly captivating once I was given a Nintendo DS for my 8th birthday. A coral pink DS Lite, which was used to the point of breaking as in the early days I was addicted to Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games and Looney Tunes Duck Amuck, a game where all you had to do was piss off Daffy Duck until he became overstimulated. Who thinks of these games by the way?

I did play the classics like Mario Kart DS with other people, but it was the longer, single player story games that really showed me what the medium was capable of. I was an avid reader as a kid, but being able to interact within a story, figure out complex puzzles, party builds and routes to progress, and see it all pay off in the end by defeating a tough boss or completing a dungeon was particularly fascinating. I adored Pokémon Mystery Dungeon and Dragon Quest IX; especially as I got to create my own characters and name them. And when I wanted a break from the action, I would spend long swathes of time playing Animal Crossing Wild World, Yoshi’s Island, or Tamagotchi Corner Shop. If I wasn’t playing my DS or PS2, you could find me on Club Penguin or Moshi Monsters, grinding up in-game currency with minigames!

These games in my formative years really informed what I enjoy playing now; I still play a huge range of visual novel and RPG story games, and I even play DnD in my spare time! I’m still a console gamer, and delving into lore, worldbuilding and characters is what sells me on a game. This is why I have less experience in games that do not feature this such as FPS or (most) platformers. As I’ve been writing for this blog, I’ve found my curiosity growing for genres outside of my comfort zone; I may set a new year’s resolution to try some new genres out for the first time.

Being a video game fan for coming up on 19 years really solidified why I wanted to start this blog in the first place. I’ve made all sorts of memories, made friends and explored a wide range of themes all through the medium of video games, and I wouldn’t be the person I am today without them. As an autistic person, video games gave me a safe space to explore ideas and social interactions, allowing me to have full control of different scenarios and worlds before deciding when I’m ready to leave it for now. The change in attitude towards women in gaming as well as neurodiversity is truly making me hopeful for the future, but I am aware that more work needs to be done before gaming is seen as a hobby for everyone. I just hope this blog can help contribute towards that!