The class activity we did last week where we made a timeline of games we’ve played throughout our lives made me realize a few things about myself and the types of games I like. As I was frantically scribbling in games in tiny letters to fit them all in, some patterns jumped out to me.

The very beginning of my timeline is mostly solo card games (war, solitaire) and board games with my grandmother (Candy Land, Chutes and Ladders, etc.). My grandma lived in the house with us as I was growing up and I loved nothing more than spending time with her. On the other side of the family, I was also very close with my grandpa. He was (and still is) the coolest grandpa around. He’s very into computers and technology and used to build his own PCs. When I got a little bit older, he was actually the one who first introduced me to my love of gaming. I vividly remember him sitting me down at his desk in his big comfy computer chair and teaching me the mechanics of Mech Warrior, Civilization III, and GTA 3. I was enamored. I would sit there and play for hours while my grandpa watched TV or quietly read a book.

This was the catalyst for me. I loved everything my grandpa loved and soon the love of games blossomed into something all my own. It was hard for me before to pinpoint when exactly I became a “gamer.” To be honest, I only in very recent years felt like a gamer. For me, it was less about being ostracized for being female, but being ostracized for the types of games I like and my tendency to enjoy a solitary or one-on-one experience. For a long time, other gamers made me feel like if I wasn’t playing multiplayer games like CoD, I wasn’t playing “real” games.

But the games I have played over the years have been extremely influential to me in developing my personality and fostering my friendships. Some of my favorite bonding moments with friends have been over trading a controller back and forth or even just simply watch a friend kick a hard boss’s butt. It took me a long time to realize I was internalizing elitist negativity. Just because I always hated games like CoD doesn’t mean that I’m less of a gamer. I’ve also come to realize that gaming doesn’t have to be an overly social activity to still be enjoyable and valid.

Another thing I noticed as I made my list is that video game music is way more important to me than I realized. As I was looking over the list and trying to pick out some notable things I remembered about each game and a common thread between them, I noticed that amazing music was a recurring theme. Sometimes it’s hard to notice how great the music is when you’re concentrating on a difficult platforming area or a mega hard boss, but it turns out the music is one of the things that sticks with me the most. It really adds to the immersion and the atmosphere of a game. I truly think that even if you don’t notice it in the moment, some of the best games wouldn’t be as great without their masterful scores. Immersion is definitely something I’m interested in learning more about in this class.