How Did You Become A Gamer?

I grew up in a bad area (what can you do?) and of course no matter where you grow up you will always have bad influences trying to convince you to screw up your life temporary or permanently, Believe it or not video games has helped me stay away from bad influences and more.. the biggest way gaming has helped me out was with my reading ability, I prefer older games like fallout,baldur's gate, ultima and those games require a good amount of reading and they really inspired me to expand my vocabulary and convinces to me pick up a book and start reading.

What made you a gamer and how did it effect you?

I have Aspergers Syndrome, and video games were the one way I could learn to interact with people instead of fearing the awkward situation because I don't always know how to react. I learned how to feel through video games. I also learned to read and write, and learned my basic learning skills.

I don't really remember, to be honest. I don't recall my really young days, and I started to play during the early-mid eighties when I was around 7. Looking back at the abominations those Atari/Collecovision games were, I can't give a valid reason as to why I'd even bother, but for God knows why I found them engaging and that interest held throughout my teenage years. I've always been fascinated by the interaction between the player and the game, and I appreciate seeing the work and craftsmanship that goes into well made software, same way as films, or books or music.

There really was no formative event in my life that made me start gaming but there's been one that's helped keep it a main point of interest since I was 20....the diagnosis of chronic disease. While I still enjoy games and it's a large part of why I play, I also largely do it to escape the reality of illness and the burden of unpleasant treatment. Games are a wonderful distraction as they're getting to the point of becoming completely engrossing worlds unto themselves, and I throw myself into them in really difficult times. Many may see that as sad, and perhaps so, but my situation is sad all-arround. I've nothing to lose, and they help.

By Playing Games ! Duh !

That's interesting. I have a niece who's 11 with Aspergers and she can hardly look at me in the eye for more than a second. She mostly loves and plays Minecraft, maybe it'll help her as well.

I played some video games as a kid and liked it.

My sister bought a master system when I was about 6....I used to sneek into her room when she was at work and play Alex kidd in miracle world on it.

I was then fascinated with games ever since

Please see my gamespot blog post to find out how coming to this site got me into playing video games.

I'm pretty sure my cousin got me into gaming... He bought a PS1 when it first came out, and I fell in love! I got one for Xmas and never looked back.

I got a gameboy and a SNES when i was young from my parents. I've continued from there

I started playing arcade games around 1983. Then I got a Atari then a NES and the rest is history.

I can't really recall but I was pretty young, aroound 5. Arcade games like Pac-Man caught my interest. I do remember getting my first system, the Atari 2600 as a Christmas gift.

I had friends playing COD4 a lot and just got sucked in. I always enjoyed FPS but I was really casual until COD4 and playing on a weekly basis with friends of mine. We no longer lived close to each other so this is how we got together. In college we all roomed together and played goldeneye to the early hours of the morning. LOL We would bounce a the AV lines from TV to TV and have cardboard over the TV except the corner you where on. lol
Good times. :)

I've been around video games my whole life and bit by bit (:P), they slowly became a bigger part of my life

My dad brought home a Commodore 64. I was hooked :)

My mom bought me a Sega Genesis bundled with Madden 92 for my 6th birthday and I have been in a mad love affair ever since. It was the best birthday present I ever received, I love you mom!

I saw an Atari 2600 commercial. But really it wasnt until Nintendo came out and marketed the NES that I knew I just had to have one. Of course seeing Arcades at the mall, dept stores and pretty much everywhere also lent a large hand. I think Zelda became a pretty large draw into gaming listening to my friend talk about it and from then on out I was definitely a gamer. My family didn't have much extra money though so I didn't get an NES until after it was out for a couple of years and never had that many games. I think I made up for it now but there are many old games I have now that I wish I could have played as a kid. I think I would have enjoyed them much more then, even the text adventure games.

N64 - Goldeneye, Star Fox 64, Super Mario 64 and then Halo

My mum bought me a Commodore 64 I had Scooby doo on it, but when I got my NES with Mario and duck hunt I was hooked.

it started in the mid 80s when my mom won an Atari 130xe. Been doing it ever since whenever I can.

I was about 6 - 7 years old when I first saw my brother playing Counter Strike on PC back in 2000 . That was when I first found out about video games and played some Motor racing game on that PC . I also used my friend's PS1 to play some games like Crash bandicoot and stuff . there was also MGS1 . I used to play some 90s games that i don't really remember what .

what I really remember is when my dad bought me Xbox in 2004 , along with Halo 2 and that was the moment I really turned into a gamer . Halo 2 , GTA san andreas and Half Life 2 were my first games those days .

My parents had a Commodore 64, they said I would get up there and type away at it when I was 2 years old. Don't know if I was playing games or playing with the keyboard, but I do remember a few years later playing games like Gauntlet, Diamond Dash, Dino Eggs and the Carmen Sandiego games on it.

Frogger on the Atari. Gaming ever since, just something I like to do, no special story or big reason.

I am no longer a video gamer in some ways for now, but I still play video games from time to time. I feel I became a video gamer once my dad bought me a PlayStation for Christmas. But even then, I missed out on many video games for the PlayStation, not including Japanese exclusives.