I was a closet gamer throughout my adult life, playing games only at home without anyone knowing apart from a family staying with me. It’s only recently since I became addicted to a survival horror mobile game LifeAfter that I broke free from being a closet gamer.
Why did I keep this huge part of me a secret? It’s definitely not because I’m embarrassed. It was mostly due to my surroundings. I used to play with boys during my primary school, then I went to an all-girls high school. That was when my gaming time was decreasing gradually. I don’t want to sound sexist towards my own gender but the topics that commonly came up among my girlfriends were about boys, clothes, fashions, music, TV shows, and movies. There was not a single mention of video or PC games.
The first gaming device my parents bought for me and my brother was a Micro Genius back in the ’90s. If you’re from my generation, I’m sure you’ll remember those childhood video games we used to play. For those who are younger and have no clue what I’m talking about, you attach a cartridge with either a single game or a bundle of games into the device to play. Although the device is still selling today for retro gamers to enjoy, you no longer need to plug in the cartridge. The games are pre-loaded into the device. If you want to try retro games, you can purchase it from here.
Photo by Mateusz Dach from Pexels
Needless to say, my brother and I were instantly hooked with video games. We played for hours, days, and nights. One time, we scrambled to our feet and ran off from the living room where we were playing because smokes started coming out from the TV box. Mom was furious because the TV overheated due to long hours of playing video games.
After that, we just transitioned from Micro Genius to Nintendo and subsequently Playstation and PC games. Like I mentioned earlier, I stopped playing after I went to high school while my brother never did stop playing games until today.
I’m so glad that the gaming culture is stronger these days and it has become mainstream since the early 2000s with eSports gaining huge momentum. Besides, there are more female gamers and older gamers (25-35.) While I still don’t have many people around me who are gamers, I’m starting to make new friends through the multiplayer games that I play. I’m happier now as a gamer that I truly get to talk and share with people about this hobby of mine.
