gaming moments that became core memories
As you get older, things start to feel different. Even if you were to create a perfect 1:1 recreation of a moment, it still wouldn't feel the same from the first time you did it. These moments become memories that you have to just appreciate and routinely visit in the theater of your own mind. Here are some of my core memories that games have given me.
- Going to my Uncle's house to play this new game, Left 4 Dead. Playing campaign after campaign and crushing can after can of Brisk raspberry tea while waiting for him to finish making tacos.
- The all-nighters with my childhood best friend making Machinimas on Halo 3 and playing GTA IV.
- Staying up until midnight with my wife waiting for Tears of the Kingdom to be playable. Then making her mad because I started because my download finished before hers.
- Doing Destiny 1/2 raids with my Uncle. Being awestruck by The Leviathan and having a blast running The Taken King
- Playing GTA V heists with my friends when I was in high school
- Halo 3/Reach custom games with randoms or friends when I was in Elementary/Middle school
- The first time playing Minecraft: Xbox 360 edition (and the first time ever being griefed. RIP H.M.S. Buttfucker)
- The playthrough of Fallout 3 that finally clicked and got me to love the series
- My first Skyrim character, Aeschere, and playing him through the launch of the new DLCs and hitting level 365. All ending when I defeated Karstaag.
- The first time beating Oblivion. A low point in my life that was made better playing this game, and falling asleep to the bonus disc documentary
- The days I played Tears of the Kingdom while my newborn daughter slept on my chest
- The inside jokes made with my best friend playing BattleBlock Theater
- Doing the level 256 glitch on Castle Crashers in the 2010s
- Watching my daughter figure out how to play Super Mario 64
- Beating my first Legend of Zelda game, Skyward Sword. I was hella depressed at the time, and this game got me through it.
- Beating Castle Crashers with my wife and father-in-law
- Getting drunk with my stepdad and playing MLB Slugfest 20-04 (I lost a bet)
- Saying goodbye (for what I thought was the last time) to Halo 3 multiplayer before the servers shut down.
- Playing Left 4 Dead, Castle Crashers, Mario Party 8, and CoD World at War Zombies with my uncle and his friends. I got set up in a corner with a widescreen CRT and sat on the floor.
- Playing Wii games with my Middle School best friend at his house.
There's probably more that I'm just forgetting, but these are the big ones for me. I'm grateful for the memories that video games enabled for me and continue to do so.