A featured series on LadiesGamers.com: Memory Museum. Our earliest gaming memories to the backdrop of what was happening in our personal life and what was happening in the gaming world back then!
It’s the beginning of the new millennium. It’s the year 2000 and despite the predictions of a huge problem with our computers at the turn of the century nothing major happened. It was just another year mainly because companies and organisations worldwide checked, fixed, and upgraded their computer systems.
Maxis releases The Sims, the first game of a successful series. Sony releases the PS2 and Paper Mario is released for the N64. Over in Australia, Paige plays one of her first games: the Legend of Zelda, Ocarina of Time.
Hazy Memories
I can’t exactly remember my first game. A lot of time was spent watching others play even before I could comprehend games. After talking with my brother we think it might have been The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Most of our early gaming was on the Nintendo 64. We didn’t get a GameCube until a year or two after it came out because our 64 got stolen. So the first time I got my hands on a game was probably in the first few years of the new millennia.
Kokiri Forest
The game starts off in Kokiri Forest a perfect little tutorial area. Various signs and Kokiri will tell you how to control the game. You can roll, jump over gaps, pick up and throw rocks and talk to people from up high. It was a really great place to get the handle of gaming in the three dimensions. It’s a nice peaceful area much like a playground. In it I was able to eventually climb up someone’s house path and get across the tall bridge. It’s a decent size but did feel a touch bigger than it does now.
Not Much Of A Gamer
The then latest Zelda game would also be the start of a huge habit of mine in gaming for a very long time. It all started with my mortal enemy, the giant boulder. As in order to leave Kokiri Forest you need a sword, and the sword was in a path with a rolling boulder. Being a small child I was quite a wussbucket and that rock was quite frightening to me. So much so that I dared not go through the path and instead enjoyed my time exploring the village.
Some time later I’d let friends have a go at the game and of course they got much further. I remember seeing them where the Redeads were and becoming much more terrified. Given that Link is the hero of Courage it was perhaps fitting that I didn’t go on his journey.
From Casual to Regular Gamer
This habit of sticking to the safe places in a game stuck with me for some time. Asides from multiplayer games which I’d often not play more than a few rounds of since I hated losing. Outside of console I played PC games such as Barbie Cool Looks Fashion Designer, Barbie Pet Rescue Center and Petz 5. So I was quite into casual and life sim games. With the GameCube I got into Sims and Harvest Moon.
For some time I simply stuck to life simulation and online social games for some time. I was always interested in other genres. I did always try some other games here and there, usually with a relative or friend.
It wasn’t until I bought myself the Wii U that I really got into other games. This was also after I had suffered injury in both my wrists a couple times. Having a time where I could do very little with my hands made me miss games a lot more than I might’ve thought I would. Since then I’ve gotten better with gaming and tend to finish my games now.
One day I did go back and I got that sword.
