The origins of my appreciation for the world of gaming lie in several PC games that I played starting almost 15 years ago. Beginning with such endlessly entertaining Humongous Entertainment game franchises as Pajama Sam and Freddie Fish, I eventually graduated up to “big kid games” like The Sims and Rollercoaster Tycoon. I received my first gaming console, a GameCube, when I was 11 years old. My first game was Luigi’s Mansion. From the beginning I could tell that video games would continue to be a source of endless inspiration and amusement for years to come, because I found the experience of immersing myself in another world to be irresistible.

Perhaps because of my early years, I have always stuck mainly to Nintendo gaming. I have subsequently acquired a Gameboy Advance, a DS, and a Wii. My two absolute favorite franchises are the Pokemon games and the Legend of Zelda series. Some of my other favorite Nintento games include (but are not limited to) Super Smash Bros., Okami, Pikmin, Metroid Prime, and some Mario platformers like Super Mario Sunshine and Super Mario Galaxy.

I have always considered myself to be an individual gamer. I think this is because what I enjoy most about video games is the opportunity to totally immerse myself in an imaginary world; an important aspect of my personality is that I need to have outlets in my life where I can get space from other people and things happening around me. Video games have always fulfilled that need nicely for me.

That’s not to say that I don’t enjoy multiplayer gaming immensely; in fact, I enjoy a good, old-fashioned Super Smash Bros. ass-whooping as much as anybody. In spite of (or maybe because of…) my aforementioned individualistic gaming tendencies, I am actually insanely competitive. I often have trouble dealing with losing even the most trivial of games, to the point where they can sometimes become another stress in my life rather than an escape (I think many of my closest friends can attest to that). Hence, in some situations I find it best to avoid games like Mario Party for the sake of my personal relationships.

Nevertheless, I have ventured a bit  into the realm of multiplayer PC gaming since being at Middlebury, although I am somewhat limited by the fact that my computer is a Mac. Some of my new favorites include Civilization IV, Borderlands 2, and Bioshock (which has swiftly ascended to the ranks of my all-time favorites).

If I had to summarize what video games really mean to me, I think I would characterize them as an art form more prominently than I would describe them as a competition or game. While games like The Legend of Zelda and Metroid Prime will always occupy a special place in my heart, many popular shooters (and iPhone games in general) will never achieve a comparable level for me. To demonstrate my point, I would contrast Bioshock with another shooter such as Call of Duty. In the latter, it seems to me that the sole purpose of the game is simply to destroy the opposition at all costs, a style of gaming that has always struck me as somewhat mundane. In Bioshock, though, I find that there is so much more substance – the art-deco, underwater-city setting is one of the most incredible scenes I could ever imagine, the story is addictingly immersive, and attention to details such as music and voice acting make its imaginary world even more awe-inspiring.

Video games will always represent an immensely beautiful, engaging, nostalgic pastime for me. I think they have artistic and creative potential that no other media have – interaction, exploration, spatial and temporal flexibility, and even more. I tend to consider completion, aesthetics, and story more heavily than competition, score, or social interaction, so it is the most imaginative games that leave the greatest impression on me.

Don’t think I don’t play multiplayer games, though! Just know that in the case of a shooter, I will be the one up in the tower enjoying the scenery and contemplating the furniture (slightly at the expense of my teammate). Oh, and I will definitely be using a rocket launcher.