The first time music made me cry, it wasn’t a sad movie score or a heart-wrenching pop ballad—it was the ending theme to Final Fantasy VI. I was 16 years old, it was approximately 3 AM on a school night, and I’d just spent 70+ hours guiding a ragtag group of rebels through an apocalyptic story culminating in one of gaming’s most satisfying conclusions. As the credits rolled and character themes wove together into Nobuo…
It was the summer of 1995, and I was working at Electronics Boutique in the Woodland Mall—one of those summer…
There’s something deeply satisfying about the clean, definitive moment when a puzzle clicks into place. That mental “aha!” sensation when…
The first time I encountered Earthworm Jim, I was 15 and desperately trying to convince my mom that renting a…
I still remember the first time I saw Sonic the Hedgehog in action. It was summer 1991, and I was…
My first real couch co-op experience happened in 1988 when my brother Dave finally let me be Player 2 in…
The first time I booted up Myst was at my friend Tony’s house in the winter of 1994. His family…
The summer of 1989 was defined by two things for me: a horrifically awkward growth spurt that made me look…
October 1996. I was 18, fresh out of high school, and working part-time at a local video store that had…
December 10, 1993. I remember the date because it was the last day of fall semester finals, and instead of…
I still remember the exact moment I fell in love with point-and-click adventure games. It was 1990, sitting in my…
November 1994. Clinton was president, Ace of Base was somehow on every radio station, and I was a gangly sixteen-year-old…
The first time I threw a controller in genuine frustration was summer 1989, specifically at 11:42 PM on a Tuesday…
Video games have evolved to include countless different genres, with each one emphasizing different gameplay mechanics and attracting different types…
Christmas break, 1998. Five CDs in a massive cardboard box with a face on it that looked like it was…
