First game you ever played?

[pleb-hates-the-modern-web]

spyro the dragon on the original playstation. i was very young and had no concept of how to play video games; i remember i just thought it was very cool i could run around as a dragon and breathe fire.

[Neonriser]

The earliest game I every played was Arthur's Birthday, which I got on my 2nd or 3rd birthday. It was one of those kid's games that came with a disc. With the disc you install the game into your computer and you can only play it if you had the respective disc on your computer. So if you want to play a bunch of minigames starring a meekarat and his warthog buddy, you need a Lion King disc. If you want to create a bunch of clay abominations, you need to have a PlayDoh disc. And if you want to go on a wild adventure involving talking food, then the Pajama Sam disc is right up your alley.

Nowadays we don't need discs to play or install games anymore. We just need the internet.

[Grafo Volaverunt]

The first game I remember playing is this one: Road Fighter for the NES.

I remember I was just in a state of trance just watching that little red car moving around the screen hehehe. I was 6 back then

[brawler]

Gran Turismo 2! I still pop it in sometimes just to see that fantastic intro with "The Cardigans - My favorite game".

[CyberCat2000]

I think my earliest known memory of ANY game at all was GORILLA.BAS, that little gorilla game included as a BASIC program was DOS. I admit, I just made up random numbers when it came to actually playing it. (I do remember the smiling sun, though...)

As for my first "real" game? Well, it all started when we got a bunch of DOS shareware CDs (namely, the Aztech Home Entertainment series). The two I think I remember the earliest? Raptor: Call of the Shadows and Wolfenstein 3D. Regardless, I recall sitting with my father, playing together...

My first console game? Super Mario All-Stars on the SNES. Specifically, Super Mario Bros 3.

[Kutan]

Oh hey, those Aztech shareware CDs were some of my earliest games too! I had the Mac version, not the DOS version, but still! It's neat to see a mention of it pop up here

[MrsMoe]

I grew up on a LOT of point and click edutainment games, but my earliest memory would probably have to be Reader Rabbit Toddler. Reader Rabbit and Jumpstart were both the shit when I was little, but my first experience with any computer was with this game.

I suddenly remembered this game's existence a few months ago and got so overwhelmed with nostalgia. Ever since then, I've been obsessed with tracking down old PC games I used to love.

I find this one part really creepy now as an adult though...

Other games I liked were Alphabet Express, Candyland, Barbie as Rapunzel: A Creative Adventure, My Disney Kitchen, and anything by Humongous Entertainment (especially Pajama Sam).

[NacreousDreams]

My sister had a Gamecube and a PS2 when we were growing up, and I always gravitated to the Gamecube for some reason. The first two games I ever played were also the first two I typically to watch her play- Luigi's Mansion and Sonic Adventure 2 Battle.

Man, Luigi's Mansion just ages great. It was made as a showcase for the console's graphical abilities, and they absolutely nailed it in that regard. Lighting effects are fantastic, and the whole mansion perfectly walks the fine line between "so dark that you can't see" and "so bright that you start to lose atmosphere". The ghosts in this game just feel menacing, like playful characters performing actual life-and-death shenanigans with poor Luigi. And boy, howdy- they gave Luigi the whole A button to just call "Mario" to varying degrees of desperation. So you'll hear Luigi complete the background music with his humming and, just for the heck of it, press A to hear him shout his brother's name. And that ending... man, it gets me going every time.

Press A to "MAAARIOOOOOOOOO"

Sonic Adventure 2- both the original and the Gamecube port, SA2 Battle- get flack because the only parts with consistent quality are the Sonic/Shadow levels; the shooter and hunting levels are steps down from how they were executed in SA1. But SA2 has the better Chao Garden, so I don't give a [REDACTED]. My sister and I basically played it for the Chao Garden, which for those who don't know, was basically a fully functional and surprisingly deep virtual pet simulator that was added to the game as completely optional side content. Just look it up sometime, and you'll see what I mean. Most of your rewards in levels could be funneled into this mode to help you raise your chao, and you could have them perform in races or karate for emblems and second-hand clout. I loved the story of the game, too; it was bonkers and edgy in a lot of ways, but I always love that sort of campy vibe in games because it's always just such a good time. And heck! The game's a load of fun too, especially if you're not stressing over getting all A ranks! I remember, as a kid, bypassing huge portions of Final Rush (Sonic's final level) by jumping from the top of grind rails and landing near the bottom with moderate precision. Plus, having a bunch of different game styles in one package was great variety when you're a kid with, like, 4 games to start out.

Also, between the two games, I've developed an overzealous love for retro gemstone models. Devs really liked rendering gems back then!

[Melooon]

Oooo the Chao Garden was a huge inspiration, although I really liked the one on Sonic Advance most (maybe because its all I had). I used to have the sprite sheet for it stuck to my bedroom wall Also Reader Rabbit is a professional game *solemn nod*

[DJoftheCoven]

The first game that I can remember playing as a kid was Super Mario Bros Wii! My brother and I were totally obsessed with it. To this day, we still load it up every now and again to play it with each other . We can go through level 1-1 without even looking at the screen!

[Cobra!]

The first game I ever remember playing is the original Sonic The Hedgehog on Mega Drive when I was 3. (I'm not that old, I got a Mega Drive in 1998!)

[Guest]

I don't quite remember, but I believe it was The Legend of Zelda on NES. Good place to start with one of the earliest console classics!

[tenkai_no_perusona]

Disney's Animated Storybook - Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree. I used to love Pooh when I was a kid, and my dad bought this for me along with VHS tapes of the many Pooh series and movies available at the time.

It's still a vibe to this day. And it got me into computers very soon in my life.

[blajehobbs44]

it was some educational game, i don' remember more other than main character being atnthropomorphic cartoony bunny, like roger rabbit. First game i've beaten however is probably Bioshock

[Guest]

Such a great question, and so difficult to recall... am I that old?! Haha.

I think it must've been Free Ski. I used to play it on Windows 3.1. It looks like it's still possible to play it today from here. Beware, as you progress there might be a monster that might follow you and you may be traumatized. But it's fun!

Free Ski might be my first. I remember it being on the computers at school, but we had an old Windows 3.1 computer at home and I remember playing Gertrude's Secrets and some Donald Duck game that I can't find the name of anymore.

The first "real" game I played was Sonic 2 on my friend's GameGear. I was obsessed with it the first time he let me try it, so I begged my parents for a GameGear for Christmas. Instead they got us a Genesis with Sonic 2

The first game I ever remember playing is the original Sonic The Hedgehog on Mega Drive when I was 3. (I'm not that old, I got a Mega Drive in 1998!)

If I didn't already know that I'm old, this would be a rude awakening.