Hello and welcome back! Thanks for reading this autobiographical series, and if you’re just joining, you might want to start at part 1 here. Today we’ll continue where we left off last week by digging deeper into my nerdy interests growing up. Specifically, I want to dive more into my video game obsession and my transition to reading. This will still just include my time through middle school, but I promise we’re getting close to more adult times!
So, without any wordy delays, let’s jump into it!
The Best Time for Gaming
Truly, the 90s had to be the best time for a nerd like me. Video games were really taking off. Starting with the faint memories of floppy disks, I remember the original Prince of Persia game on PC, along with similar games. I think Commander Keen was one of the early games I enjoyed, along with Lemmings. And of course, when the N64 came out, my brother and I got a Super Nintendo. We played all the Mario games there, with Yoshi’s Island being my favorite of the bunch.
Then, when Pokemon Yellow came out, I got my first taste of an RPG. I loved getting my new Gameboy color and spent no shortage of time enjoying Pokemon. Aside from that game, the only other Gameboy game I really got into was Mario Golf, which was surprisingly fun for me, especially since I still don’t really care for golf (but that game was awesome). But let’s be real -these games are not the big ones for me. Instead, there are two major game categories that I ought to focus on.
Strategy and Roleplaying
This may seem like a weird sentence to start out a post about video games, but stick with me… I always got good grades in school, which I’ll talk more about in another post. And I always did well on standardized testing. I bring this up because I believe my early video game interest is what ensured this. The first major game that really took over for me was Civilization II. We got a new family computer, and it came bundled with this spectacular game. I learned all about these civilizations, their capital cities, world wonders, and so much more. In other words, my social studies class rarely taught me something I hadn’t already learned from playing Civilization.
Another computer franchise that held my attention was Command and Conquer, my earliest entry to the franchise being Red Alert 2. The tone and overall gameplay were both so fun and interesting. Like any real-time strategy game, it helped me develop some strategic thinking and taught me the need to act quickly. But more important, it developed my story-telling and taught me an entire new genre.
But most impactful on me and my interests was my introduction to Final Fantasy. As was normal for a lower middle-class family, we got our PS1 around the time the Playstation 2 came out. And I got a few games in that deal, including Final Fantasy IX and Final Fantasy Tactics. I later would play just about every Final Fantasy game, because those two entries really sparked a passion in me. Which made sense, considering my own imagination often explored wizards, elves, and mythological creatures.
Of all video games, Final Fantasy Tactics still remains my favorite. Not just because the awesome (and sometimes super challenging) gameplay. But because it was really different than most JRPGs. Truly, if I were to select one franchise that influenced my taste in fiction the most, it’s Final Fantasy.
Making the Transition to Books
But you see, while I was playing my first Final Fantasy games and enjoying Civilization, I finally found a book series that interested me. Sure, I read the occasional book when I was young, like Where the Wild Things Are, but I wasn’t much of a reader in my early years. In fact, it wasn’t until 5th or 6th grade that I really got into reading. Prior to this, the only books I really enjoyed were some Goosebumps and Animorphs, along with some one-off fantasy stories I can’t recall. As it went though, a change in reading programs at school pushed me forward.
See, my parents sacrificed a lot for us growing up. They sent us to a private, Catholic school (with the help of some scholarships). It meant we never really ate out, went to the movies, and likely made me overly stingy for my early adult like. But I have no doubt it also resulted in me having a better education. In middle school in particular, the school started using a computer-based reading program. That is, instead of being assigned specific books, we were allowed to choose any book that was available in that testing program.
Each book had a set amount of points, so being the cosmic underachiever, I decided I wanted to read as few books as possible. It worked out great! I started with The Hobbit, then blew through the Lord of the Rings. If my memory is correct, I had to also read The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe alongside the Hobbit. But aside from these books, I didn’t have to read anything else for school. I did end up reading more books from Narnia, but what else would you expect?
See, finally reading these books I discovered that I actually could enjoy reading. In the next couple of years, I’d avoid any boring books by going through the Harry Potter franchise. No, I didn’t enjoy them as much as Lord of the Rings, but they were great books, and I found a lot of similarities to that story compared to my own childhood fantasies. That is, I used to always go around pretending to be a wizard going to wizard school until one day an elf came along and took me on other adventures. So, cursory similarity, but a similarity nonetheless!
Where to Next?
Alright. Now that we’ve gone through a somewhat exhaustive list of all the interests I’ve had up through middle school, next week I’ll dive more into my actual education experience. I know, you’re all dying to know about that. And here’s something to make it interesting though…I still haven’t talked about my introduction to writing, which we’ll begin to explore next week!
Until then, I hope you’re reading something that transports you to a fantastic world of possibilities. For now, peace and God bless!
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