Influence of Video Games: Precious Experiences (Part I)

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I’m a millennial, so video games without a doubt were a huge and important part of my life.

When I was 6 years old I got my first console as a birthday present. Sega Genesis. That happened in 1997. Although Sega Genesis was released in Europe in 1990, such thing as a gaming console in Post-Soviet Union countries were uncommon rarity. Only when Playstation 1 came across people started to freak out about the whole thing. Every kid wanted one. Most of them had one. But for me, Sega Genesis was the only console I’ve ever had. Later, on the first year of school, I transformed from Console Peasant to PC Master Race.

Sega Genesis. Source

My father was (and still is) obsessed with latest technology. He always had new cell phone with best prices for calls and messages, some crazy car, rare VHS, best quality sound system and, of course, a personal computer with newest, trending processor. He gave me one like that. I remember the first time I turned it on. The screen said it had 64 MB RAM.

There weren’t many games for PC back then. All you could do is create something with Paint or play Solitaire. But that changed quickly. Suddenly I had these boxes of floppy discs (1.44 MB) which my father brought me from somewhere. Floppies full of some crazy and by now definitely extinct games. Usually these games had no name, no narrative, not even a tutorial, nothing. Just a simple set of rules with some visual magic.

Later in school I got my hand on Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2. In short – it was spectacular. So the gaming began. Few years later my father started to play Medal of Honor, so I joined him. In short – it was spectacular. Then lazy summer starts and there’s not much to do, so I hunt for more games. Got Red Alert 2, then Sims 2, then Age of Empires II. I mastered them all not mentioning many games I already forgot. Don’t know how I beat all of them, because I probably couldn’t do that right now. If you remember, those games were hard, man. Back then all games were hard as hell, especially the old ones.

Don’t believe me? Try beating Contra on Sega Genesis (you can emulate it on your PC now. Great times). I did that when I was about 7 years old. No kid would ever be able to do that today. I can’t do that today for sure.

So, these were the first games I’ve encountered and had tons of fun with. But then my whole perspective of gaming changed as I my friend introduced me to the first Masterpiece I’ve ever encountered in my life.

The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind released by Bethesda Softworks in 2002.

In-game screenshot. Source

That was the day I started to REALLY enjoy playing. It was such a unique and incredible experience I gave this gem 2 years of my life. And that’s just for the first time.

It’s a game I consider to be the best one I’ve ever played. Of course, it’s just my opinion based on very nostalgic feelings. But just imagine – I’m a 13 years old child. Copy of a game I have is in Russian language. I don’t read Russian. I can understand it, I can speak a bit (my neighbors were mainly Russians), but I can’t read. The main problem is – nothing important is spoken in this game. Every quest, every direction, even the dialogs are written in language I can’t read.

So, what did I do? I started to learn Russian language. Didn’t need much though. Just walked to my mom and asked to translate some words on a piece of paper. “North”, “South”, “East”, “West”. That’s all I need for navigating the map. If I need something else, I’ll come back. “North from this town, east from that rock”. – that’s how pretty much all quests looked for me when I read the quest journal.

Of course, my best friend was also playing this game. He was the one who gave it to me. Good thing that he was fluent in Russian and haven’t had any problems understanding game’s content. We spent a lot of time together and naturally played the game together. He guided me through everything I couldn’t find myself at first – where to buy armor, where to join the guild I like, how to travel to other cities quickly, what are the effects of different magic spells, etc. He also translated some quests and directions when I needed it. And when he progressed in a main story (which wasn’t that often) with me sitting next to him, I always ran home to do the same and continue on my journey alone in that vast 24 square km (or 9.3 square miles) area until I was stuck again.

Morrowind map (with both DLC). Source

And that’s a LOT of space because life in this world is slow, but filled with so many mezmerizing secrets. Imagine that - you can enter every building, every mine, crypt, ruin and chamber. You can talk to each person in the world. You can interact with almost every object you can see. Take it. Steal it. Drop it. Eat it (sometimes). You can do magic, or create magic. You can be blacksmith, alchemist, enchanter, thief, warrior, merchant or all at once, if you are hardcore enough to become a legend and one day face Vivec as equal in power (if you played this game, you know what I mean).

Sometimes I still play it even though I have The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, but it’s not the same. Morrowind was unique and vast. It still has so much to tell, there are so many secrets that are left unrevealed. But this game requires time, patience and dedication which is not common anymore.

But my point is… This game gifted me such an incredible experience, especially on those lazy summer days when you don’t really know what to do with your time. More than that, it made me think very hard sometimes and even learn foreign language, it kept me curious, interested and motivated enough to explore and discover more. I created stuff, I found stuff, I made myself stronger, I mastered every skill.

Also, it strengthened the bond between me and my friend, because we kind of did it together the first time (well, he found the Azura statue which was crucial for progressing in main quest, but I recognized it and made him notice it). We talked about it for months if not years. Sometimes still do. And I remember those adventures as I remember everything else in my life. It’s simply precious.

Of course, all the other games I’ve mentioned before also had a decent impact on me. Like Sims 2. It is a great home building simulator and you can even learn something about real life by playing it while you're still a kid (for example, paying bills, managing your skills to advance in career, getting to know person before you can bang them, etc.). Also, you can’t beat Red Alert II or Age of Empires II without learning something about military strategies, base defenses and weaknesses of your enemies. Games, especially strategy and RPG games, were a brain teasers back then and they’re still somewhat are. It’s like a training material for all sort of things that combines fun with creation and logical thinking. Surely there are games that provide different advantages, but that’s a topic for another day.

So, this is my early days of gaming. I have so much more to tell and it’s probably much more important (those glorious MMO days), so I’ll consider writing part two and even part three if I feel like it (I probably will at some point).

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