With today being Mario Day and Pokemon Go launching a campaign centered on memories with the game, I'm thinking about early gaming memories. Those moments that made you love video games or identify as a gamer.

For me, I can remember playing Super Mario with my dad on our SNES when I was really little. But it was playing Mario 64 at at a friends house, then finally getting a Nintendo 64 of our own that really sold me on gaming for life. What are your fondest early gaming memories?

I still remember watching my dad play through the entirety of Ocarina of Time as a kid. Seeing him play it really pushed me to get more heavily into games myself.

2 minutes ago, Logan Moore said:

I still remember watching my dad play through the entirety of Ocarina of Time as a kid. Seeing him play it really pushed me to get more heavily into games myself.

That's a big early gaming memory for me too. I played it with my little brother, taking turns with the controller.

Playing Sonic the Hedgehog on Sega Genesis. I had a cartridge that had Sonic 1, Sonic 2, and Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine on it. I remember Sonic 2 could be multiplayer with someone controlling Tails, so sometimes I'd play with my parents. One of us would be Sonic and the other Tails. My parents are not gamers, but that was fun. Gaming became a big hobby for me after that and I only got more into it once I got PS1 and PS2.

This isn't an early memory, but playing through all the big PlayStation exclusives on PS4 during COVID is what helped me re-identify as a gamer. I stopped gaming when I started college because I just didn't have the time. I was so bored that first weekend of the pandemic I bought a PS4 just so I would have something to do. It reminded me how much fun gaming can be, and it's once again one of my main hobbies.

From a very young age, my NES was basically my babysitter while my parents ran a store in the early 90s. During this time i spent playing endless amounts of super mario bros with my sister, as well as many games we would rent at blockbuster on the way to "work"

1 hour ago, skyewalker said:

From a very young age, my NES was basically my babysitter while my parents ran a store in the early 90s. During this time i spent playing endless amounts of super mario bros with my sister, as well as many games we would rent at blockbuster on the way to "work"

I miss renting games from Blockbuster! What a time.

Beating Donkey Kong Country on my own, it was the first video game where I did it by myself without my dad's help

Some of my first memories in gaming are actually with the first video game I ever owned, which was Home Alone for the Sega Genesis, and I also remember amazing times with games like Vectorman, Sunset Riders, Sonic the Hedgehog, and X-Men.

I also have fond memories of playing Smash Bros., Tekken, and Soul Calibur later on, and then there's my RPG memories with games like Final Fantasy VII, Breath of Fire III, Xenogears, Grandia II, and Suikoden. Just peaceful times and always fun.

17 minutes ago, MattAguilarCB said:

Some of my first memories in gaming are actually with the first video game I ever owned, which was Home Alone for the Sega Genesis, and I also remember amazing times with games like Vectorman, Sunset Riders, Sonic the Hedgehog, and X-Men.

I also have fond memories of playing Smash Bros., Tekken, and Soul Calibur later on, and then there's my RPG memories with games like Final Fantasy VII, Breath of Fire III, Xenogears, Grandia II, and Suikoden. Just peaceful times and always fun.

Oh gosh, Soul Calibur was a big one for me but I always seem to forget about it for some reason. And Super Smash Bros of course!

6 hours ago, Amanda Kay Oaks said:

Oh gosh, Soul Calibur was a big one for me but I always seem to forget about it for some reason. And Super Smash Bros of course!

I've actually been itching to play some Soul Calibur again after this thread haha

Before the days of video game streaming and Uber Eats ... my brother and I played a full 2-player local tournament in EA FC/FIFA. It lasted 15 hours with 10-minute food, beverage, and bathroom breaks. It was awesome and made me add gaming to my comic book, manga, and anime desires.

2 hours ago, MAG said:

Before the days of video game streaming and Uber Eats ... my brother and I played a full 2-player local tournament in EA FC/FIFA. It lasted 15 hours with 10-minute food, beverage, and bathroom breaks. It was awesome and made me add gaming to my comic book, manga, and anime desires.

That sounds amazing!