Gamer Autobiography

Our first task for the Games and Game Design class is to create a gamer autobiography.

   The first game I remember playing with other kids is Hide and Seek. I am an only child, but my grandmother ran an in-home daycare and there were always other kids around. We played Red Rover and London Bridge is Falling Down, too. At home, we played Pick Up Sticks, but also the easy card games like Go Fish. Because I had no one to play games with, my parents didn't buy me any board cames until I was nine or ten. I guess they weren't really interested in board games, though we sometimes played Scrabble. But I got a real taste for board games when I visited friends. I remember playing Trouble and Sorry, but my favorite was Clue. I liked the little game tokens and the logic of eliminating possibilities as you play appealed to me. 

    We had Simon and Merlin. Those were the first electronic games I learned. Then when video games started hitting places like the Pavilion and Putt Putt, I played all the old classics: Asteroids, Space Invaders, Frogger and PacMan. My favorite though was Galaga. I concentrated on getting good at Galaga. I knew the best way to stretch a quarter's worth of entertainment was to pick one game and get really good at it. I can picture the game console in front of me, and me blasting away at the mothership while dodging the bombs, my high school friends cheering me on. That was another way we stretched our quarters--watching each other play.

When I started teaching in 1993, games for the Apple IIe were available. The only title I remember is The Oregon Trail. Most of the games were math or letter matching. Very similar to what’s on ABCya now, but with 8-bit graphics. Now my favorite educational game is Minecraft. It’s so engaging for the students! I got drafted to sponsor the school’s Chess Club. I’ve never gone beyond knowing what pieces move where, but I’m learning.

I married into a large family full of game-lovers. We play Uno, Scrabble, Yahtzee and Zilch. I still haven’t been able to interest anyone in Clue, though. My husband and I played Boggle and Scrabble in the early days. Once the kids came along, we started keeping up with the latest Nintendo game consoles and playing Link’s Target Practice, Guitar Hero, and Dance Dance Revolution. These days a family game night at home looks like Mario Cart or Jack Box on the Switch. When we have guests, the most popular game is Telestrations. It’s like the Telephone Game meets Pictionary.

My phone is where I play the most games: Fruit Merge, NYT Puzzles, and Queen. If you like classic rock and Guitar Hero, you must try Queen! My Gen Z children tell me I play games enough to warrant the title “Gamer,” but really I feel like an imposter.

I think games help adults tap into their inner child, helping to relieve stress. Playful activities have been linked to positive outcomes for people with depression. When I think about games, I’m reminded of some of the best times of my life.