The History Behind Myriam, The Gamer

Art fanatic, music lover, food aficionado, and maybe a little crazy, but I’m ok with that. I suppose my slight obsession with video games stems partially to the fact that I’m an only child. When you find yourself in such a state, it’s natural that you find things to occupy your time with. For me, one of those things became video games. I remember the first time I played one at my cousin’s house when I was young -  Duck Hunt on the NES along with the bright orange gun you had to shoot at the screen. From there I got my first system – the Super NES, along with Super Mario. Unlocked ALL the levels. Yup. Endless gaming with only breaks for food and bathroom breaks. It helped that my father was a bit of a game fanatic himself at the time. I probably got my love of shiny gadgets and technology from him.

Since I was an only child, became very close to my older cousins – Uziel, David, & Josue. These boys had about 10 years on me so I remember sitting down in the living room watching them play RPGs and thinking to myself “Wow, look how cool that looks. Look at those fights! Look at that artwork! I LOVE this music! This is so complicated I need more!”. It was only a matter of time before I graduated to the Sony Playstation and got myself involved in those worlds myself. Ah…Sony. My great love. We were united at last. 

First game I owned on the Sony Playstation? Tomb Raider. There was just something about a strong female character (albeit with a very pixilated bosom and awkward movements), guns blazing into danger, and puzzling levels that really captivated me. I couldn’t get enough. This would spawn my following of the series and led me to play every single Tomb Raider game out there – including all the remakes. Yes. It’s consuming. Do I regret it? Never. 

I was probably around 12 or 13 when I picked up my first RPG title. Military base yard sale = big savings on expensive games and an awesome gift from a ever-spoiling uncle. I thus became engrossed in Xenogears. A massive world with magic, giant fighting mechs, and anime-styled animated cut scenes. I was in Heaven! The storyline might have been a little complicated for someone of my age, but I put enough hours into that puppy to absorb it all. That final boss couldn’t hold his own against my mighty level 99 characters. All of them. 

From there I decided that I wanted more of this RPG genre. So I started picking up those games that I grew up watching my cousins play and that I was finally old enough to play and understand myself. Many of the titles that followed included Chrono Cross and an extensive coverage of the Final Fantasy  Franchise (FF7, FF8, FF9, FFX, FFX-2, FF12, & FF13). 

As I got a bit older and found myself lacking 150 hours + to invest in gameplay I discovered the joys of Prince of Persia, the Uncharted Franchise (which is amazing), and even ventured into the realm of XBOX 360 for some good “shoot-em-ups” like Gears of War. 

So what do I think about where games are now and where they’re heading? I think the future holds great things. So many advancements can be seen in game tech in just the last two decades that there is really nothing holding us back but ourselves. The main things that should always remain a constant? Great stories, believable characters, fantastic worlds, and captivating gameplay. 

This is Myriam, signing off.