Explosions In My Mind: My Early Memories Of Video Games

I came across an article yesterday posted onto Kotaku written by guest author Adam Sessler, a man recently divorced from the gaming press turned media and entertainment consultant. In brief, the editorial is aimed in part at chronicling Adam’s memories of games: his early life, his professional career as video game journalist and his repose from the industry and casual consumption of games. The article itself is touching, and should be read in full if you find yourself with fifteen minutes and a mind for sobering memoires.

After reading the article, I began to think about how I too often frame many of my memories in the context of video games. Accordingly, I’ve opted to detail 3 video games which helped to define my tastes in games during my formative years with them.

Mario 64 (1996)



Mario 64 reminds me of why I love playing video games. The game is inventive, challenging and fun. It is likely one of the primary reasons why I’ve become so enamoured with the medium.

I recall being in the first few years of elementary school when Mario 64 first came out. I did not yet own my own console, and would play this game at a neighbour’s house. I recall how fragmented my play experience was with the game. One weekend I would be playing around in the early stages of the game (Bob-omb Battlefield springs to mind immediately); and then next, I would be trying to muster up the courage to make it through Big Boo’s Haunt.

I really enjoyed how novel every stage felt, and how Mario’s limited skillset (walking, crawling, jumping, swimming, climbing, etc.) was used to its fullest and in varying ways depending on the level/land that the player found him/herself in, in addition to whatever powers were unlocked for use in those levels (being able to fly, vanish and/or become immune to damage and sink in water). Mario 64’s many secrets, high level of replayability, and sheer ambitious scope all culminated in a personal hunger to experience more of the medium.

Pokémon Red (1999)

Several years following the release of Mario 64, Pokémon was released on Gameboy. My first encounter with the franchise was with Charizard, Venusaur and Blastoise, each presented as a card to be collected through a string cheese company I’ve long forgotten. The mystery surrounding what these creatures were came to head when several of my schoolmates began purchasing the game on their Gameboy. Soon enough, nearly everyone I knew owned a copy of either Red or Blue version. I found myself compelled to follow in tow. In the end, I chose Pokémon Red because many people I knew chose the Blue version.

Many of my memories of this game were entirely social: I recall linking with other friends on my block to trade Pokémon, I remember the thrill of making progress in the game only to tell my friends on the discoveries that I’d made, and I remember learning about some of the game’s many peak moments through other schoolmates’ experiences (how to pass the first sleeping Snorlax, having to choose between Hitmonchan or Hitmonlee, which Pokémon were exclusive to which version of the game, etc.).

Final Fantasy VII (2001)

Pokémon, much like Mario 64 before it, helped me to identify qualities I would later seek out in video games: namely, exploration-heavy experiences which tested my dexterity and wits in various ways. Interestingly, neither game was particularly story-heavy, which I feel is oddly ironic, given how each game played a major role in shaping my eventual tastes in JRPGs (which are usually as much about story as they are about gameplay).

As with many others, the first console RPG I played was Final Fantasy VII (FFVII). Though I had played several other console-based RPGs (Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars comes to mind) FFVII was the first console RPG I played on a console that I owned, and for that reason deserves a special mention on this list.

Perhaps more importantly, FFVII introduced me to the two levels through which exploration is experienced in many RPGs. On one level, the story itself motivated me to continue playing the game, often serving as a catalyst for me to venture on, to strengthen my party by grinding out levels, and ultimately to earn further story exposition. On a second level, I found myself curious to see how I could incrementally improve my party through repetitive common encounters and cinematic boss encounters. Each of these levels of exploration (story and mechanics) helped reinforce my desire to play more games; a sentiment toward RPGs rooted in the strong sense of exploration adopted through my earlier experiences with Mario 64’s beautifully crafted levels, and Pokémon’s own RPG mechanics, in addition to the game’s strong sense of tangible progression.

In the end, my formative years with video games centered on many more games than the three I’ve listed here. That said, I find myself thinking about my time spent with Mario 64, Pokémon and FFVII with a fondness that has since been lost; with a nostalgic haze that has since been devoured by my adult responsibilities. The crystallization of these games in my memories, and the pillars they’ve contributed to which now prop my interests in RPGs, may very well become lost to other more pertinent memories eventually. In some ways then, this article is an ode to what may come to be replaced. Take care.