Disclaimer: I don't just play on PC, I also have a Wii, a PS2, and a DS lite, but PC is what I spend most of my time gaming on, so I'll focus on that for this blog. I'm going to write briefly about games that I played that stood out during my time as a gamer, at least, the ones that occur to me as I write this. I'm probably going to think of more later, and facepalm, because I didn't include them. However, I'm writing a blog, not a book, so I can't include all the games that I've ever played.

I've been playing video games for as long as I can remember. It's been, at least, a decade since I first played a video game.

I started out when my dad bought home an Apple 2 e. It wasn't when it first came out, it was many years after, and he got it because someone else was getting rid of it. It was at a yard sale. That computer was older then I was. It was still a big deal to us, since it was our first computer. It came with a lot of games, like Asteroids, Adventure, Oregon Trail, F-15 Strike Eagle, and Defender, among others.

Ah, yes, Defender. That was my favorite game of the bunch we had. I loved flying around in my space ship and shooting aliens, blowing them up with bombs, and saving people when the aliens abducted them. I felt like Luke Skywalker. It was amazing, and started my love of sci-fi video games.

A year after my dad got the Apple 2 e, we finally got a more modern computer. I went with my mom to Wal-mart to pick it out. It was a brand new Windows Millennium Edition HP PC, and it cost $1000! My rig I have now could eat that and have room left over for a 100 more, and it only cost me about $600! But, I'm getting ahead of myself.

That WinME PC was my entry into a wider world of PC gaming. Or, at least, it was after I got a video card for it. Until then, the only game I played on it was Solitaire, which came with it.

I can't remember the first game I ever got for the WinME, but there are a few that stand out from that time.

I got Deus Ex GOTY, and still, to this day, it's one of my favorite games. I loved having all the options in that game, and being able to play it how I wanted to. I loved the branching storyline, every time I played it I came across something I didn't do before. It also introduced me to the world of Cyberpunk, and sparked my love of that. Technology, good or bad, it's gonna be awesome! It also came with a soundtrack, which started my love of video game soundtracks.

I also got Freespace: The Great War, which continued my love of sci-fi games and ignited my love of space sims. It's also the first time I was creeped out by a bad guy in a game, before I even saw what they looked like. They were the Shivans, and initially they had technology far superior to what the player had access to. They weren't even visible on my space radar, the only way I could see it is if I actually saw it, and my weapons couldn't get a lock, or do much damage. So, in the first mission they appeared, they just showed up and started killing. The only choice I had was to run, something I hate having to do. Of course, later on, I got my revenge, and was able to start blasting Shivans out of space.

I also got Halo: Combat Evolved. Ironically, it started my love of playing FPS games on the PC. I liked that Master Chief didn't talk much, so it felt like I was the one stomping around in my Mjolnir armor and blasting the Covenant. It also was the second time I was creeped out by a bad guy in a game. They were the Flood. Brr, The Flood. I remember backpedalling like crazy and blasting at them with my shot gun, and them not stopping, because they were mindless space zombies who didn't care how many of them I turned into space mush.

After many years I got my own PC. Actually, I got a few, right now every computer in the house is one I owned at some point, except my little sister's laptop. Usually, what would happen is that I would get a computer, then I would get a better one and give the old one to my family. They'd use it for internet, and to play those lame facebook games, so they didn't need a high end PC. This went on for a few years, and during that time I played a few game that really stood out.

During this time I started to get compilations of older games. I got two that had a lot of Star Trek games together, and had a blast playing them. Yes, I am a Trekkie. One had Armada 1 and 2, and Elite Force, with it's expansion, and the other one had Star Fleet Command, and Star Fleet Academy. They were some really awesome games. Of course, I'm biased, because I am a Trekkie, but they were good even if you aren't one. I'll pick one to write more about

Armada was a solid RTS game set in the Star Trek Next Generation universe. The Borg were making trouble again, and it's up to the player to stop them. It was cool, because they had Patrick Stuart actually do the voice of Captain Picard, and even better, I got to order him around. It was also surprising how mean I could be to my favorite Star Trek character. "Oh, look, a black hole. Hmm, I wonder what would happen if...Picard go in there."

I also got a Star Wars collection of games, called the Best of PC, which had Knights of the Old Republic and Empire at War, among others.

I really enjoyed KOTOR, and it's still a game I play from time to time. It felt different from other PC RPGs I had played, and it wasn't until later I realized it was "Consolized". Whatever. It was still a blast, and probably the best Star Wars RPG to date. I really enjoyed the story, and the major plot twist that everyone probably knows about, but, in case some people don't, I won't spoil it. Go play the game, if you want to find out what it is. It's a doozy.

It was also during this time I discovered both Steam and Gog.com, which became the main ways I get games. It changed the way I saw games. I didn't need discs anymore! I know some people would rather have discs, but I've had discs get wrecked, or stop working for seemingly no reason, and not having to have disc was liberating. Steam, however, isn't as liberating as Gog.com, since Steam is DRM, with features that make it bearable, like being able to play with friends easily and the community features, while Gog is completely DRM free. So, if a game is on both Gog and Steam, I get it on Gog.

Then I got my current gaming rig, which I built myself.

That was an adventure. I did a ton of research into the parts I would get, to make sure I got the most bang for my buck, and that they would all play together nicely. Then I ordered them off of Newegg (strange name for a great store) and, following the instructions, I put them together into a working PC. I had a slight problem putting the cooling system to the CPU in, and, because I missed something in the instructions, I ended up not plugging my video card in to the power. After I plugged it in, I finally had my very own gaming rig, which I built myself. I think that should be something of a right of passage for a PC gamer.

I got it back in February, 2011. It might not be the best PC in the world, but it still handles everything I've thrown at it at Max, or near Max, settings. I'll probably have to upgrade in 2014.

I also decided to get an HDTV to use as a monitor, since that's something ignorant console fanboys say you can't do with PC games. Well, you can, and I proved it!

Okay, really, I got it because I figured it'd be better then having both a TV and a monitor, since I could use it for both my PS2 and my PC, and that's exactly what I did.

After I got my rig, my gaming really exploded.

Like that.

Anyway, I had a PC that I could play my games on, without worrying too much about whether or not they would work.

There are a lot of games that really stood out from that time until now, too many to really talk about in this blog. So, I'll limit myself to three. This is gonna be hard.

A game that really stands out as one of my faves is Fallout New Vegas. I still play that game occasionally. It's the game that really sparked my love of player created mods. I really liked it because it blended a wild west theme with the post-apocalyptic Fallout world. I played it as an FPS, since Vats made it way to easy. I really loved exploring in that game, because there was always something new to find. To this day, I don't think I explored all of it, and I have 98 hours clocked in that game. It also stand out as a game with DLC that was worth playing, adding hours of new content and interesting characters, not to mention new and awesome weapons. The K-9 Cyberdog gun was my favorite.

The Witcher 2 stands out as one of the few games I ever pre-ordered. I got it on Gog.com, so it was DRM free, plus I got some money off the price. I really liked playing as Geralt, especially since they got rid of the QTE combat system from the Witcher 1, even if it did have QTEs, which I hate. Since I don't want this to turn into a rant, I won't mention that again. I'll just say that it was nice to be the one telling Grealt how to fight, and not having the game tell me how to do it, even if in other parts it was telling me exactly how to play. The story is interesting, it's one of the few games I'm interested in playing just for the story. It's also a good example to other devs how a PC game should be handled, or maybe games in general. I got the Enhanced Edition, for FREE! Gotta love Cd Projeckt Red for doing that!

I can't write a blog about games that stood out thru my years as a gamer without mentioning Minecraft. That has got to be the closest thing I have to a favorite game, especially since I discovered mods and texture packs for it. With that game, at least, on the PC, you never have to be content with the way that vanilla looks and plays (except for the most basic things, like mining and crafting, if you don't like that go play something else!). There's so many mods it isn't even funny. I've got 47 installed now, and counting. I also like exploring the randomly generated worlds, there's always something new around the block shaped corner. I think my favorite thing about it is the multiplayer. Why? Because it's the same as the single player, just with more people! I wish more games were like that, if they're going to insist on having both.

Yes, that was hard, limiting myself to three games, plus the other ones I mentioned. There are a great many other games I could mention, but that would make this blog much longer then it already is, especially since I own over 200 games, so many I lost count.

I play games because I hate being bored, and like having my mind be entertained. I like having fun, and enjoying what I play. Problem is, I get bored easily, so I end up getting bored with a game and moving on to another, sometimes jumping back to the older game because I got bored with the new one, then jumping back to the new one because I got bored with the old one, or starting to play an entirely new game. That's how my collection got so vast. Plus, it didn't help that so many new and amazing games kept coming out, plus the Humble Bundles, plus the sales on Gog.com and Steam, and so on and so forth.

It really has been an journey being a gamer for over a decade. It was really quite the ride, and I look forward to many more decades of gaming to come. I can't wait to see what the future brings, and also to be the old guy on the gaming sites going "Back in my day, we had a keyboard and mouse, or a gamepad, we didn't have this newfangled controlling games with your mind!" Hmm, now that would be cool.

Thanks for reading this long, but hopefully not boring, blog.

That's all for now.