Gamer Tales: My First Experience In Gaming

Since the advent of video games exploded onto the scene in the 1980s it has become a stable in our technological society ever since. The simple blocks, sounds of blips and bloops on the television screen or arcade satisfied the gamer with entertainment. From the perspective of this gamer it was the video game consoles of the 1990s including the Sega Genesis that first began my path to video games.

My Sonic the Hedgehog original Sega Genesis cartridge. My very first experience with a video game.

I never experienced much of the wonders in the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) or the Atari 7800 in the 1990s when I spent that decade as a kid. On a quiet sunny evening I may go over to my friend’s house to play Paperboy or Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles but that was my only experience with the NES. At a local mall in Jacksonville called The Avenues I would sometimes play their assortment of arcade games which was usually Spider-Man: The Video Game, Terminator 2: Judgement Day or a monster truck game which I cannot remember the name of. My very first video game console that I can truly call my own was the Sega Genesis, released in 1989, which actually belonged to my father. My father, Daniel Andrew Nicholas, purchased the Sega Genesis for himself in 1993 with the notion of letting me play it from time to time. Yes, I have my father’s middle name but gradually I would also have my father’s video game console.

A Toys R Us in 1990 with displays of Sega Genesis games. In the 1990s at Toys R Us you would take out the paper in these holders and take it to the cashier who would then go get that video game. If the paper was missing then it would mean sold out. In the video you can hear the music and sound effects from Ghouls ‘n Ghosts.

At the young age of 5 years old of course I was curious about this strange device and what was on the television. A weird blue creature was on the screen collecting rings for some reason in a land of green blocky hills that appeared to be scrolling from one side to the other. I had to try this out! Playing on the somewhat bulky Sega controller I was then in charge of this blue creature. I lost my rings and died countless times but it was those first “video game deaths” that I realized my very first mistakes in video games. Learning from those deaths I was sure to not make those same mistakes and reach the end of the level. Sonic the Hedgehog was released in 1991 and forever became Sega’s own mascot to compete against Nintend’s Mario. Sure, the first Sonic video game was actually pretty hard it was still nonetheless a fun game. The second video game I played on the Sega Genesis was Ghouls ‘n Ghosts another fun side-scroller which I played everyday along with Sonic. Overtime my father would purchase Golden Axe II, Terminator 2: Judgement Day, Road Rash and Sonic the Hedgehog 3. Video games I didn’t have but wanted to play I would always go get from Blockbuster such as Splatterhouse, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Vectorman, Comix Zone and Haunting.

Some of my original Sega Genesis games. Clockwise: Sonic the Hedgehog 3, a game I got from Blockbuster Video with the original sticker still on it, Road Rash, Golden Axe II, Terminator 2: Judgement Day

Since 1994 at 5 years old I was a gamer thanks to the Sega Genesis. I still have that same video game console and the original games. No I don’t have those black video game cases that the old Sega Genesis games came in but I still have the games. I actually have that contraption that came out with the Sega CD console where you can combine that with the Sega Genesis. Unfortunately, as a young kid I didn’t know how to take care of video games on disc which are now covered in scratches. Video games on cartridges were kid proof and still work to this day.

My Ghouls n’ Ghosts original copy and my first experience with a Capcom video game.

What was your first video game? What was your first video game console or experience with one?

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