How I got into video games.

By Sam Coles:

Video games is a medium that I’m very passionate about and I’ve never really explained how that passion birthed for games and I just want to tell you through this short editorial and maybe you’ll get a bit of insight about me.

When I was a kid bridging into a teenager I played video games but I never really analysed them for any inner meaning or critique them, I just use to enjoy them for what they are and use to play them to pass the time whether that be a rainy Sunday etc. I used to be clued up on the latest titles like the GTA’s the Call of Duty’s and all the popular ones, but to be honest I use to play them because everyone else did.

It wasn’t until I had a somewhat decent PC that could play games in 2007 and I explored a few PC games and the one that caught my attention was The Elder Scrolls IV Oblivion. Oblivion introduced me to this beautiful, colourful and vibrant world that is living and breathing and I had not seen anything like it at that point. The setting was familiar with the high fantasy elements as my Father liked Lord of the Rings books and the Hobbit so I was aware of what the races and lore to a certain extent. The game immerse me so much I felt that I could escape from reality for a while and forget my troubles and feel that I have an impact in the world of Cyrodiil. Even when I turned the game off I had the thought that Cyrodiil is still carrying on even when I’m not there which made me look at video games in a different light which made me think “Wow! Games can be more than time wasters”.

After Oblivion I got an Xbox 360 in 2009 with Halo, Mass Effect and Forza Motorsport 2 (which I didn’t play that much as I wasn’t into racing games at that point) Mass Effect introduced me to a galactic adventure where the whole galaxy were relaying on me to save them from an invading force. Halo 3 was the final struggle that I took part in to help end the war between the Covenant and UNSC. These worlds have been well crafted to be believable and I would get excited when a new game would be announced and I still do because with each new game whether it be a sequel or new IP I’m curious what new world they have created.

Early 2010 I was in a dark place I was doing my A-levels and the stress was getting the better of me, I cycled home one afternoon and I stopped in my local Blockbuster (yes they were about still). I had a look at some 360 games and I was skimming the sleeves left and right which I then came across a game that I didn’t really know about and that game was Dragon Age: Origins. I had no idea about this game so I bought it and popped it into my Xbox 360 and I immediately feel in love with the world of this game and it made forget about my stress and I adventured through the world of Ferelden for the rest of the evening. The characters were well written which could make laugh, cry or aggravated with their actions.

I continued to play games and at the end of 2010 I started to write reviews for my local newspaper because I wanted to share my passion with others. I would get feedback from friends saying that they haven’t read something so passionate, which filled me with positivity. This led me to where I am today still writing reviews where publishers let me critique their products.

So where am I now with gaming? Well I own a wealth of consoles because I’ve started to play retro games as well as I own a PS1, Mega Drive, PS2 and Gamecube etc. I’m Exploring the past with gaming as well as experiencing the present with what worlds that PS4 and Xbox One can produce and I’ve experienced the Northern Kingdoms of The Witcher 3 to the destroyed yet beautiful world of Mad Max. I have evolved from someone who played games to pass the time to the man who is passionate about it and wants to share that passion with others.