Who Remembers Their First Gaming Experience?

[Kugyince]

This Tuesday was a very important day. It was the first day my 1 and a-half-year-old son played his first video game.

The game? Wii Sports baseball. And by playing he held the Wii Remote and kinda swung his arm. My older son doesn't really play that many video games — instead, he likes to fold paper and play with LEGO. But when he does, Wii Sports is something he likes to play. And now something he can play with his little brother.

Say what you will about the Wii. When you're a 1 year-old, flailing about makes for a delightful gaming experience. Watching your child fail [sic] about with a Wii Remote, even more so.

I don't really remember my first gaming experience. As a kid, I do remember the Magnavox Odyssey and Pong. My cousin had an Atari 2600, and I still have very vivid memories playing that. But I don't quite remember which was first. You know, that exact moment in which I became exposed to video games.

I'll never forget, though, when my youngest son did.

Who Remembers Their First Gaming Experience? - Wii - Kotaku (http://kotaku.com/5501939/who-remembers-their-first-gaming-experience)

[DrunkN]

You should probably put that in quotes, for a second I thought you were talking about yourself.

[Seahawk]

I do.

Dec. 25th, 1992. My parent's somehow (we were really poor back then) managed to afford a Super Nintendo. Super Mario World was free with the machine and my parents also bought Super Mario Kart. I still have them today. Awesome.

[Kugyince]

@Seahawk: That was the first time you ever picked up a controller?

[david man45]

The first I remember was me and my dad trying to beat Super Smash Tv for SNES. I was always the red one.

[Seahawk]

That was the first time you ever picked up a controller?

That's the first time I remember.........my grandparents had an NES and I might have played it before, but I don't remember that =P.

[JKool]

I do.
My parents bought a PS1 with Coolboarders 4 and Ace Combat 3. I first played coolboarders, I don't like the ace combat games. I was like 6 years old.

[Slime Slayer]

I think my first time was playing timber at the bar where my mom worked.

[CatalystiCam]

It's all a scattered mess of memories. I believe my first game was Smb 3 on Nes or Smw on Snes. My brothers said I was a good 3 year old mario player... Or maybe it was 2 years old :lol:

Best early memory I have is Christmas '98 when me and my bros got an N64. My oldest brother got NHL 99, my other older brother got Cruis'n USA and I got a Red controller, but I remember being so amazed by Cruis'n USA.

[nikegirl2012]

My dad, or mom, had an Intellivision when I was little, so I remember the tank game, one with a balloon and a couple of planes, and maybe one about basketball. Then someone got me (me because obviously I claimed it as mine) a nes, with Mario Bros. and Duckhunt. Also, I'd stand in front of the tv... (in front means with the gun touching the tv) so that I could hit the ducks because I couldn't aim properly.

I remember around Christmas, for a Mexican festivity involving the three wise men, I got Bart VS the World. I NEVER got past the second level. I knew the pirate ship back and forth, I could find answer correctly every question about the Simpsons, but I could never get past the second level.

I think my dad still has the intellevision and I still have my nes

[david man45]

Cruisin' USA was an amazing game.

[CatalystiCam]

Cruis'n USA IS an amazing game. I bought it for the VC after my bro pawned it and it's much better with the GC control stick, I can actually get to the third and fourth coats of paint now. Except with the bus.

[Kong]

I don't remember my first. Was probably Atari 2600 around age 6-7.

[Dudebro]

I vaguely remember playing really basic games(like that dueling tanks game) I think it was on commodore64. I might've played Quix first but it's kind of a blur.

[CatalystiCam]

Qix, not Quix. I still play Qix, my cousin has it.

[Tails]

I was gonna ask when did Tenser have another child.

Mine was on tape.. it was Mario bros. 3 slot game.

[Neutral]

My first memmory is playing "The incredible Machine" back in 1995-1996.

[Kugyince]

I was gonna ask when did Tenser have another child.

Looking to be adopted?

[Dudebro]

Qix, not Quix. I still play Qix, my cousin has it.
Oops I made a typo. I know full well how it's spelled, I've literally been playing it since before you were born. Hell I was a senior in high school when you had your first gaming experience, thanks for making me feel even older :lol:

[Tails]

Looking to be adopted?
lmao nah.

[Kugyince]

Sure? I think I could talk the misses into it.

[Tails]

Yep, sure. :P

[Winnebagel]

I do.

Dec. 25th, 1992. My parent's somehow (we were really poor back then) managed to afford a Super Nintendo. Super Mario World was free with the machine and my parents also bought Super Mario Kart. I still have them today. Awesome.

That's awesome.

My first game was Donkey Kong on the Atari 2600. Strangely, the first Coin-Op game I ever played was oddly Donkey Kong too. I was at a restaurant in Chorpus Christi, Texas (Ponchos) in the 80's, and I had a quarter, so I played. Donkey Kong has mildly obsessed me since. I even watched the Donkey Kong cartoon in the early 80's (crap I'm old!).

Otherwise, another milestone was playing Super Mario Bros on the original NES. By the way, does anyone know which version had green Goombas? I remember playing that one is a bunch of stores prior to having it at home.

[Tails]

Paper Mario.

Goombas were a staple of Bowser's army during his attempt to take the Mushroom Kingdom with the power of the Star Rod (http://www.mariowiki.com/Star_Rod_%28Paper_Mario%29) in the game Paper Mario (http://www.mariowiki.com/Paper_Mario). In fact, many varieties of Goombas aided the Koopa King. Goomboss (this time named the Goomba King (http://www.mariowiki.com/Goomboss)) returned, commanding a large group of Goombas that resided in Goomba Road (http://www.mariowiki.com/Goomba_Road), the pathway between Goomba Village and Toad Town (http://www.mariowiki.com/Toad_Town). Besides regular Goombas, the Goomba King controlled a large number of Paragoombas and Spiky Goombas (http://www.mariowiki.com/Spiky_Goombas), Goombas that wore spiked helmets to counter Mario's jumping ability. The Goomba King's two loyal henchmen, Red Goomba (http://www.mariowiki.com/Red_Goomba) and Blue Goomba (http://www.mariowiki.com/Blue_Goomba), appeared in the game as well. A new sub-species of Goomba, known as the Gloomba (http://www.mariowiki.com/Gloomba), was also introduced. These dark Goombas lived underground, and also had Paragloomba (http://www.mariowiki.com/Paragloomba) and Spiky Gloomba (http://www.mariowiki.com/Spiky_Gloomba) relatives. Hyper Goombas (http://www.mariowiki.com/Hyper_Goomba), green-colored Goombas similar to the Gu Goombas, were first seen in this game. These powerful Goombas could charge their attack power, and were a major threat to Mario. Again, Hyper Goombas had a Hyper Paragoomba (http://www.mariowiki.com/Hyper_Paragoomba) and a Hyper Spiky Goomba (http://www.mariowiki.com/Hyper_Spiky_Goomba) variant.
The regular brown Goombas of Paper Mario behaved similarly to their counterparts in Super Mario 64. These bad mushrooms would patrol a small area, and upon seeing Mario, would charge at the plumber. In battle, Goombas attacked by using the "Headbonk (http://www.mariowiki.com/Headbonk)" technique. The mushroom would jump in the air, then dive into Mario, bonking its head against the hero's. This attack could be blocked by defending just as the Goomba's head touched Mario. If struck by the attack, Mario would take one HP (http://www.mariowiki.com/HP) of damage. At the beginning of the game, it requires two stomps or two Hammer (http://www.mariowiki.com/Hammer) strikes to defeat a Goomba (as Goombas only have two HP). However, after Mario learns how to use Action Commands (http://www.mariowiki.com/Action_Command), the plumber only needed one timed attack to defeat one of these bad mushrooms.
Although Goombas were normally fought at the beginning of the game, one Goomba could be fought much later than expected. At one point, Bowser asked Princess Peach what Mario fears most. One of Peach's choices was "A Goomba", and if she picked this, Kammy Koopa (http://www.mariowiki.com/Kammy_Koopa) would warp a Goomba to Shy Guy's Toy Box (http://www.mariowiki.com/Shy_Guy%27s_Toy_Box). Although Kammy expressed doubt that the Goomba would scare Mario away, she left the fungus in charge of defending a vital Treasure Box (http://www.mariowiki.com/Treasure_Box) anyways. When Mario eventually arrived, the Goomba became very scared, and was quickly defeated by the powerful plumber.
Despite the large number of Goombas loyal to the Koopa Troop, Paper Mario notably features the first community of peaceful Goombas. These Goombas did not wage war against the Mushroom Kingdom; they were a part of it. In fact, this Goomba community was instrumental in defeating King Bowser and liberating the Mushroom Kingdom. It was the family of Goombas (composed of Goompa (http://www.mariowiki.com/Goompa), Gooma (http://www.mariowiki.com/Gooma), Goompapa (http://www.mariowiki.com/Goompapa), Goomama (http://www.mariowiki.com/Goomama), Goombaria (http://www.mariowiki.com/Goombaria), and Goombario (http://www.mariowiki.com/Goombario)) living in peaceful Goomba Village that first discovered Mario's near-lifeless body after the hero's initial defeat at the hands of Bowser. These friendly Goombas nursed Mario back to full strength, and provided the plumber with a Hammer (http://www.mariowiki.com/Hammer) to fight the soldiers of the Koopa Troop. The family also allowed Mario to take Goomnuts (http://www.mariowiki.com/Goomnut) from their village; these nuts could be used by Mario to recover his FP (http://www.mariowiki.com/FP). Goombario, a young Goomba and personal admirer of Mario, even joined the hero on his adventure. The young Goomba's Tattle (http://www.mariowiki.com/Tattle) ability was extremely valuable, as he provided hints on how to defeat certain enemies. With Goombario's (among others) help, Mario was able to defeat Bowser and save the Mushroom Kingdom.

[Kong]

I was at a restaurant in Chorpus Christi, Texas (Ponchos):} Ponchos is my favorite restaurant.

[Slime Slayer]

green Goombas?
I have the most vague memory of this now that you mention it, maybe I'm just imagining this memory because it's so vague, barely even classifiable as a memory infact.

[CatalystiCam]

Paper mario tails?

[Tails]

What?

[ZedIsDead]

I have vague memories of sucking pretty badly at Super Mario Bros. 3 using the giant NES Advantage controller. I think I was about three or four.

[CatalystiCam]

oh, never mind. I thought you were saying Paper mario was your first.

Anyways. Out of my scattered memories I actually remember clearly my first gaming experience... Sort of... I know this because it was a common nightmare for me when I was young. I had been watching my brothers play Super EDF in the basement of our Calgary house. I would have had to be younger than 3 because of the fact that I lived in Calgary until I was 3... I don't neccesarily remember them playing, but my parents had called us for supper and my brothers thought it would be funny to leave me down there in my crib while it was dark. As a three year old. The dark scared me, I panicked and got out of the crib. I was running around not dure where to go but they left the TV on. I remember the EDF screen going and it terrified me. If you watch it, the part I'm referring to is the part where it scrolls over your 3D ship revealing the plane only as it scrolls over the letters "EDF". The music on this screen was terrifying as a kid. I ran for the stairs and tried to climb up them. You'll see why I remember this now, when I was at the halfway point of the steps, I fell over due to something on the stairs that I tripped on. That's all I really remember, my parents knew I was still down there and were coming to get me. It was a lot faster than it sounds. Don't worry though, not like I was rolling down the stairs. Since I was young, I was crawling up the stairs and I slid down some feet first on my stomach, and the stairs were carpeted. For whatever reason. I had nightmares about this until I was 5 or something, I guess it doesn't really count since I don't remember playing it, just the important scary title screen. Go watch it, it would bs scary in the dark for a toddler. Man, I'm surprised I remember this...

[fenrir1887]

My first memories were of the Sonic series of games. Especially Sonic and Knuckles. However when I first played Street Fighter 2, that was great too.

[Darkdragon]

I do. Not the exact date but around 1993 it was my mom's boyfriend's way of keeping me out of his hair. I was about 1 and a half or so. The game was Mortal Kombat on SNES.

[Dudebro]

What a great way to entertain a kid so young! :lol:

[Winnebagel]

:} Ponchos is my favorite restaurant.

I loved them too. I haven't been in years, but I used to love their Chimichangas, Tacos, and this Sopapilla dessert they used to serve drizzled in honey. Very tasty!

---------- Post added at 12:29 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:27 AM ----------

I have the most vague memory of this now that you mention it, maybe I'm just imagining this memory because it's so vague, barely even classifiable as a memory infact.

It's been awhile for me too, but I remember the game being exactly the same as the first SMB, but things were just recolored. In fact, when I first played the game in department stores (before owning the system) I always saw them green ones, but when I first played it at home I was surprised to find that they were brown. Kind of weird. I could never find a cartridge with the green goombas.

[Kong]

Completely off topic. Panchos had a salad bar. And in it there was a spicy mixed vegetable thing. In it was these little white spicy pickled balls. I loved them but I have no idea what they were. Do you know?

Also I loved how instead of a waiter coming over to your table every 10 minutes and asking how you were, you would raise a little Mexican flag if you wanted service. Such a great idea. I hate when waiters interrupt my meal. This way if I want them I can ask for them. If I don't (which is more likely the case) then they stay away.

[Tails]

That IS a good idea. Too bad not all restaurants are like that.

[Dudebro]

I also dislike wait staff constantly checking on me. Yes I want them to notice I need another drink but I don't want 20 questions about my meal while I'm still eating it(sometimes literally while I'm eating it).

[Slime Slayer]

Completely off topic. Panchos had a salad bar. And in it there was a spicy mixed vegetable thing. In it was these little white spicy pickled balls. I loved them but I have no idea what they were. Do you know?

Also I loved how instead of a waiter coming over to your table every 10 minutes and asking how you were, you would raise a little Mexican flag if you wanted service. Such a great idea. I hate when waiters interrupt my meal. This way if I want them I can ask for them. If I don't (which is more likely the case) then they stay away.

little pickled onions perhaps? My grandma used to have them from time to time. These were kinda of a sweet and sour tasting.
http://static.squidoo.com/resize/squidoo_images/250/draft_lens5868262module45782112photo_1247489998sil verskin_onions.jpg

---------- Post added at 07:01 AM ---------- Previous post was at 06:59 AM ----------

I could never find a cartridge with the green goombas.
Is there any chance that the tint on the t.v. at the store was not adjusted properly?

[Seahawk]

In fact, when I first played the game in department stores (before owning the system) I always saw them green ones, but when I first played it at home I was surprised to find that they were brown. Kind of weird. I could never find a cartridge with the green goombas.

Maybe you played the underground levels, the ones down there are kinda of blue greenish, maybe through some NES color glitches (common) or bad tv settings (tint, color, brightness, etc.) they were completely green?

[Kugyince]

My local Ponchos doesn't do the flag thing.

[DrunkN]

oh, never mind. I thought you were saying Paper mario was your first.

Anyways. Out of my scattered memories I actually remember clearly my first gaming experience... Sort of... I know this because it was a common nightmare for me when I was young. I had been watching my brothers play Super EDF in the basement of our Calgary house. I would have had to be younger than 3 because of the fact that I lived in Calgary until I was 3... I don't neccesarily remember them playing, but my parents had called us for supper and my brothers thought it would be funny to leave me down there in my crib while it was dark. As a three year old. The dark scared me, I panicked and got out of the crib. I was running around not dure where to go but they left the TV on. I remember the EDF screen going and it terrified me. If you watch it, the part I'm referring to is the part where it scrolls over your 3D ship revealing the plane only as it scrolls over the letters "EDF". The music on this screen was terrifying as a kid. I ran for the stairs and tried to climb up them. You'll see why I remember this now, when I was at the halfway point of the steps, I fell over due to something on the stairs that I tripped on. That's all I really remember, my parents knew I was still down there and were coming to get me. It was a lot faster than it sounds. Don't worry though, not like I was rolling down the stairs. Since I was young, I was crawling up the stairs and I slid down some feet first on my stomach, and the stairs were carpeted. For whatever reason. I had nightmares about this until I was 5 or something, I guess it doesn't really count since I don't remember playing it, just the important scary title screen. Go watch it, it would bs scary in the dark for a toddler. Man, I'm surprised I remember this...
I had a similar experience with Mortal Kombat. Goro in the opening would scare the jeepers out of me, and I would proceed to run out of the room in a panic, only to trip on the controller cord.

[Dudebro]

Is it bad that both those traumatic stories amused me?

[Tails]

No, they amused me as well.

[Mareeps]

same here.

[Winnebagel]

Is there any chance that the tint on the t.v. at the store was not adjusted properly?

Maybe you played the underground levels, the ones down there are kinda of blue greenish, maybe through some NES color glitches (common) or bad tv settings (tint, color, brightness, etc.) they were completely green?

I thought about that, but I remember playing that one at multiple places. It could be I'm remembering wrong, but I vividly remember the goombas being almost a flourescent green, but the levels themselves looking normal (blue skies, brown bricks on the first level, etc.). I don't know, but now I feel like I need to do a research project to find out if it was all a hallucination. :q

[StarfoxFan2009]

My first gaming experience that i can remember was owning a Atari 2600 about 12 years ago. I had a few games including ET and the wanna-be Pacman

[joz]

I remember playing Donkey Kong and Pac Man on arcade at the local flea market when I was a kid. My older brother got an Atari and I remember playing Joust and a game where I believe you control a tornado that looks like the Tazmanian Devil eating junk food.

[jim5cents]

atari 2600 when i was 4 or 5. nintendo for christmas in 1986. first games were smb, burgertime, super pitfall.

[CatalystiCam]

@DB, Tails, Brawlmaster. It's fine, it is funny. My brother teases everything to this day still; The dog, his family, his GF's (yes, even them).

[Winnebagel]

Completely off topic. Panchos had a salad bar. And in it there was a spicy mixed vegetable thing. In it was these little white spicy pickled balls. I loved them but I have no idea what they were. Do you know?

Also I loved how instead of a waiter coming over to your table every 10 minutes and asking how you were, you would raise a little Mexican flag if you wanted service. Such a great idea. I hate when waiters interrupt my meal. This way if I want them I can ask for them. If I don't (which is more likely the case) then they stay away.

Dude, I totally forgot about that flag system. That was awesome! The other place I used to go in Texas was Chi Chi's. They were pretty good, but Ponchos was king.

I wish they had them here in Florida. I haven't been to one in years.

[tanc24]

This isn't my earliest memory, but it's still a good one. I'll call it my earliest Coin-op memory:

I was probably about 7 or 8 years old. My brother was 12 or 13. We had already fallen in love with video games and we were always asking my Dad to take us to the local video arcade. One Saturday, after breakfast, my Dad surprised us each with $20. He said that we were going to the arcade to blow all of our money on video games. We were PSYCHED!

This was back in the day when games were a quarter, maybe fifty cents for the great ones, so $20 went a long way. We didn't know it at the time, but it was my Dad's goal to get my brother and I SICK of video games. After a couple of hours, we'd blown our $20 and were asking my Dad for more money. Kids: 1 Dad's plan: 0 :p

[Kong]

Off topic
little pickled onions perhaps?I don't think so but maybe. I was about 8 at the time.

My local Ponchos doesn't do the flag thing.
All Tex-Mex restaurants outside of Texas are just lame imitations.
YouTube- Pace Picante Sauce/Thick & Chunky Salsa Commercials

[CatalystiCam]

Tanc that's funny. I hate arcades now that everything is 50 cents, a dollar or more now.

[Winnebagel]

All Tex-Mex restaurants outside of Texas are just lame imitations.
YouTube- Pace Picante Sauce/Thick & Chunky Salsa Commercials (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=res1kG3HOEk)[/spoiler]

+1 Kongger. I am always frustrated when I try to tell people about Tex-Mex, and they just don't get it. Tex-Mex food rocks.

The ability to destroy a planet is insignificant next to the the option to eat a steak, tacos, and enchiladas in the same meal. :}