In 10th grade I started calling myself a ‘gamer.’ Without knowing me, it seems like a perfect label, and representative of many teenage kids, but on my end everyone saw it as an inside joke. At the time I didn’t play any of the popular video games, or have a gaming console. I would label myself as a gamer, and then later reveal that the game I was referencing was Gardenscapes, at which point everyone would have a good laugh and continue with their lives.
It’s funny how I couldn’t live up to the image of a gamer, but at the same time can pinpoint different online games to distinct points in my life. A digital game timeline, which spans many different digital devices, and evolved over the years.
The digital game that started it all, I don’t remember the name of. But it was early on when my dad first got his ipad that he downloaded this app for me and my younger brother to play on sometimes. He was really excited because it was an escape room style game, and I think that seemed to be the best of all options, as it prompted us to think, and was meant to involve teamwork as well. Despite not knowing the game, I can picture myself sitting there playing on the couch, and how unique it felt. I didn’t have any technology of my own, but it felt great to be trusted with the ipad and calling the shots in the game.
Temple Run: Oz was the next big step. This time on my own Kindle Fire, my Christmas present for the year, the first time I had so much access to a game. It was really MY game as well. If there was a high score or powerups to use, they were all mine. I got really good at it as well! It was one of only two games I had on the app, but I truly loved this game and it’s crazy how much I remember playing it.
Minecraft was the next edition in my gamer timeline. It had originally been a game just my brother played, but eventually I could play as well. The main difficulty was that we only had the game on the family computer, meaning that not only would me and my brother have to negotiate who could play, and when, it also had to be discussed with my parents. Despite that hurdle, I loved Minecraft, its creativity in building everything, for me making roller coasters out of bookcases, and also feeling at one point like I was engaging in the pop culture of the time.
Then finally Gardenscapes came about, a truly life altering app for me. A game I first had on the Kindle Fire, it became my main game on my first phone, and I would (and still do) go through phases of playing the game. It has been many things for me, a distraction during road trips, something to multi-task while watching tv, something to do on my phone when everyone is doing something, especially before I had social media. In high school I had reached some 12,000 levels, not a small feat, and the achievement which led to my self proclaimed gamer status. To this day Gardenscapes is still my favorite game, and for what reason? It is just a matching game, with some aspect of designing a garden but at this point I don’t play for that anymore. Its bright, has both short and long term challenges, and gives the perfect easy dopamine boosts. All the keys to a perfect time wasting fun time game.
The final most impactful game came before my senior year of high school, when my best friend introduced me to Stardew Valley. This became the first game which I downloaded on my own computer, and was a way for me to bond with different people, and also just is very addictive and fun.
Other honorable mentions include the Hogwarts Mystery game, the Sims, Subway Sufers,and Piano Tiles games.
My earliest memory of digital technology has to be that escape room game, however all the games I played and the ones that became a part of my identity represent a distinct time in my life. They also represent different eras of my interaction with digital technologies, how they changed from being shared to individual, and also the variety of games I interacted with. Really, with how much digital games have impacted my life, I should proudly be able to carry the title of self proclaimed ‘gamer’ anytime.
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