Since I was a little girl, I have been a lover of video games. During my childhood, I never once questioned if it was “okay” or “normal” for girls to play. I should have taken the hint when I was in second grade, sitting in the coat closet with a bunch of boys, trading Pokémon through link cables on my Gameboy, but I didn’t. I grew up with a brother who is six years older than me, resulting in my bonding time with him being consumed by Nintendo and Playstation games. Through these games was how I became so close to my brother when we were kids. He taught me all the tips, tricks, and cheats I needed to know to play the best games. The best games according to him, at least.
I grew up with a best friend who was an only child. We spent every waking moment together and my family was basically her family. I feel like my brother took her on as his second little sister, teaching her all about the best games to play as well. The three of us (sometimes more, if my brother had his friends over) spent many nights together playing Super Smash Brothers Melee for Nintendo GameCube or any of the three original Pokémon versions for GameBoy.
To this day, both my childhood best friend and I are still very much into video games. Although she has a full time job, a fiancé, and just bought her first home, she still finds time to play the latest games that come out for any existing console. My brother also plays as often as he can, even though he has a full time job and just got married at the age of 27. I am in school full time, preparing for my adult life, yet I count down the minutes until I can go on a break so I can finally finish The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess for WiiU that I started over a year ago.
My point is, no matter how old I get, I still think it is fun to play video games. Actually, the older I become I realize that some video games are meant for adults rather than kids or teens. If you’re an adult and enjoy playing video games as much as you did when you were a kid, don’t feel guilty. Playing them is a (sometimes) mindless, relaxing, and recreational activity. I definitely see myself continuing to be an avid player until I am a parent probably. Even after I am a parent, I would definitely like to see my children grow up with games. I have a lot of good memories of games I used to play, games I play now, and the people I have played with. After spending this many years of my life gaming, it’s hard to imagine life without it.