A reader catalogues the exact moment he’s fallen in love with his favourite video games, from Super Mario Kart to Overwatch.
I’m 36 years old now and don’t have as much time to play games as I once did. Life just gets in the way sometimes. In fact, I find myself spending more time thinking back on the joy certain games have brought me over the course of my gaming life (obviously life before then isn’t worth talking about) than I do being able to discover new games.
It’s like a warm blanket pulled over me on a cold winter day. So for a Reader’s Feature I thought it would be nice to share the special moments when I realised that I didn’t just like a game, I loved it. Something I know everyone will be able to relate to.
So, in no particular order I give you the games I’ve loved the most and the special moments that made them for me…
1. The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time
Most people will probably expect me to say the moment we first get out onto Hyrule Field and let Epona stretch her legs. But for me the moment I realised I loved this game came much earlier when I was larking about Kokiri Forest with Navi. I loved their relationship from the beginning – her treating Link like an annoying little brother and him just accepting it. It seemed real (if you have an older sister it does anyway). I know people say Link and personality don’t go hand in hand but for me he had an abundance of it in Ocarina. I’ve never really felt that in any of the proceeding Zelda games I’m sorry to say.
2. Super Mario Kart
My love affair with Nintendo burns less brightly than it once did, perhaps, but I still think back with affection to all the games they’ve made that brought me joy. None more so that Mario Kart on the SNES. The moment I realised this game was special was when me and my three mates would rush home from school and get our homework done ASAP so they could call round for an hour of multiplayer glory. I don’t know how many hours we spent shooting green and red shells at each other from weird Nintendo mobiles but every second spent was worth it. It’s like they say at the end of Stand By Me: you never have friends again like the ones you have when you’re young. The joy of a strategically placed banana coming up trumps still makes me smile.
3. GoldenEye 007
This game came with my N64 so I kind of presumed it was probably filler more than anything. How wrong was I! From the moment Bondy (as I still call him) bungee jumps down to off a bunch of evil henchmen I was transfixed. Rare at their absolute majestic best!
4. Overwatch
I’ve never really been a shooter game type person. They always seemed to be games that attract horrible teenage boys who would go out of their way to ruin people’s fun. Not what games are about. So I approached Overwatch with a little glumness after my son had picked it out. What I’ve found is a game full of spiky characters, dripping in personality (that word again) and really simple to pick up and master.
My son and I have basically had a couple of games a day, every day, for the past three years. It’s harder to pinpoint the moment I realised I loved it other than to say its special to me because my son and I both grew to love it together. Probably the only time that’s happened for us. It’s brought us hundreds of special little moments together that I’ll (and hopefully him to) will always cherish. And it’s probably the only game of ours that I’m better than him at, which helps!
5. The Last Of Us
I truly think this game is a work of art. I could spend hours in the worlds Naughty Dog creates, just wondering about looking at everything. For me the moment this game really hooked me was one of its quieter moments. The bit where Joel and Ellie stop to pet the animals in the university was just beautiful. I felt the connection between the two had grown to become a genuine loving bond. Two broken people mending themselves through their love of each other. The scene just dripped atmosphere, personality and hope for a better world. I hope the new one has a moment half as pretty – if it does it’ll be good enough for me.
So there you go; the moments that have been special to me in gaming. An artform that has only had a positive effect on me as a person. Hope you all enjoyed it.
By reader Chris in Belfast
The reader’s feature does not necessary represent the views of GameCentral or Metro.
You can submit your own 500 to 600-word reader feature at any time, which if used will be published in the next appropriate weekend slot. As always, email gamecentral@ukmetro.co.uk and follow us on Twitter.
