As I started to develop into a somewhat independent teenager, I began to interact with older kids on a more common basis. Some shared the same interests, others I found, were not as socially fluent as I had become. The image of mystique I had once associated with older kids within my own psyche was slowly beginning to shatter. No longer was the burden of socially restrained interests a factor in my life.
My vices had sent me broke. Like an addict gambler, I began to wallow in my own self pity. But alas, my parents were to become my addiction enablers. In december of '95 i was bought a ps1 from the enablers.
The first game I was lucky enough to own was Crash Bandicoot. Playing as Crash was a thrilling ride for a kid making the leap from a Super Nintendo. Ripper Roo was of the best designed villains to troll a six year old. I think Ripper Roo may be why I often threw inanimate objects when frustrated as an adolescent. Either that or the fact I had managed to develop a serious red frog addiction. Sometimes you can really hurt the ones you love without even realising it. Stay aware kids.
I then dived into the worlds of Croc and Spyro. These two usurped the love I had invested in Mario merely a year earlier. Platforming took a step into the third dimension and like a girl in gaming cosplay, had only got more appealing. Blowing fire had never felt as satisfying as boxing a giant beetle though, can I get a "Preach"?
In '97 I would meet the figure that would become my idea of a perfect women for the next ten years, Lara Croft. Kicking ass and taking names whilst wearing skimpy clothing felt natural enough to an innocent 7 year old. More recently, I have came to realise just how incredible the level design in Tomb Raider was for its time. In combination with some believable shadowing, the environments I explored in Tomb Raider are amongst my favourite. The added extra of free-roaming her mansion meant hours of endlessly trying to navigate a garden maze and putting my butler in the freezer.
However, It wasn't until I played Metal Gear Solid, did I become truly obsessed with a game.
MGS opened my universe to a whole new dimension of experiences. Schooling truly cemented itself in second place from that point on, and remained so throughout my compulsory years. I finished Metal Gear Solid countless times before I even began to grasp what exactly was going on. The feeling of enjoyment I got out of those early 3d console based games is something that I still often feel when playing today.
Another few birthdays and it was finally time to start saving my pocket money for sony's new console, yet my addictive behaviours had remained a constant. Whilst red frogs and nerds were no longer a monkey on my back, I had fallen into the clutches of the local Ice Cream truck. His song of deception called too loud, and yet again I had fell short of effectively saving my finances.
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