When I was a little girl, my favorite thing to do in the world was to go bike riding. Once Dad took off my training wheels, I felt invincible — riding hands-free and twirling figure-8s around my townhouse neighborhood was pure, reckless fun! Half the stunts I’d pull would have sent my mom careening to the brink of insanity (had she known!). Thankfully, my big sister ‘watched’ me like a hawk; watching as I streamed down hills and stairs while standing on the pedals, nearly a victim to the Darwin Awards. Those were the days!

Nearly every other weekend, the lot of us would visit some close family friends. Other than bike-riding, this was my second favorite thing to do in the world. I was super excited when we hopped in the car and drove for half an hour to an upscale neighborhood just a few streets from where I live now. Other families were there too, and we had tons of fun at these gatherings. The adults would spend afternoons chatting about grown-up things. We kids passed the time playing board games, and games like tag and Simon Says. Then one weekend, we went over to find that their parents had bought a Nintendo Entertainment System.

The NES made these weekends so much fun! In the mysterious game we played, you controlled a man who ran and jumped on things that looked like brown blobs and turtles. All you had to do was tap a couple of buttons and the guy on the screen would move, like a radio-controlled car. It looked so simple, but when I got a turn, I was horrible at it. I walked into baddies (since I didn’t know how to run) and whirled my arms in tandem with jumps, most of which landed into pits. Poor little guy! Over the months they got some other games too. I didn’t understand The Wheel of Fortune, but I loved the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Arcade Game! Running into boulders wasn’t so bad when the other kids were doing it more than you. In latter years, the poor NES was forgotten… but only because that family got a Super Nintendo.

The Super Nintendo changed this happy routine. It was new, so all the other kids (who didn’t have one yet) wanted to play it. The older kids took charge and passed the controllers, but only to the boys, since “video games are for boys,” while the other girls and I had the privilege of watching them stumble through Super Mario World. Despite wanting to play too, I was still really bad with video games, given my limited experience with them at the time. But being told that “girls can’t play video games” wasn’t going to cut it, and I was stubborn. As silly as it sounds, that sealed a bet, and I wanted to prove myself.

My family wasn’t rich then, so when I told my parents about the Super Nintendo, I never expected to get one. We had to make ends meet. I never got my own Super Soaker or Littlest Pet Shop toys like some other kids, but on my birthday and Christmas, I did get to pick which LEGO set I wanted, which would be built in a day, disassembled the next, and made into other things for years to come. My dad worked hard to support us all; my mom had quit her job to take care of us after school. It was still a nice and easy life, and it’s not like we ever starved. Despite having to visit thrift stores from time to time, I spent my days as other kids would, playing outdoors, collecting stickers and watching cartoons after school.

Then one day, my parents drove me to Canadian Tire and pointed to a glass case, “Is this the toy you want?” Inside the cabinet was a Super Nintendo. The fact that they were considering it got me hoping, but it couldn’t be real. It wasn’t my birthday, and it wasn’t close to Christmas, so there was no way I’d be getting one then. The rest of the day was a blur. All I remember is a sales rep unlocking the case, taking it out, and me bubbling with excitement as my dad examined the box… and carried it to the register.

And then they bought it. And then I woke up.

Kidding, that would’ve been cruel! That was the day I got my first gaming console! It came along with Super Mario World. What a deal! I also got Super Mario All-Stars a few weeks later, thanks to a mail-in form that came with the system. Within a few months of getting the SNES, we moved out of the country. My dad had found a better job overseas. Most of my old toys were packed into boxes, and my bike was sold at a yard sale, but I had these new ones which would last me for years and years to come. In fact, that same SNES, yellowed with age, still sits proudly on my desk! I spent a lot of time playing video games from then on. I practiced, and I learned how to run, how to fly, and how to keep my arms still in a game of Mario Bros.

When we moved back many years later, we got in touch with those family friends again. A lot had changed over the years! I saw the ‘kids,’ now grown up, and noticed that they kept their Super Nintendo. We talked about video games, and the next time we met, I loaned them my copies of Super Mario All-Stars and Donkey Kong Country. If it weren’t for them, I wouldn’t be a gamer in the first place… and that’s a scary thought! Directly and indirectly, video games have shaped me into who I am today.

Now it’s your turn! So folks, how did you get into gaming? Chime in. :)