As far as I'm concerned, my mother was always very strict when it came to this particular interest of mine... She constantly scolded me for spending too much time in front of my CRT instead of focusing on my studies.
My father, on the other hand, was more lenient, and sometimes he would watch me play. It wasn't uncommon for us to play a few rounds together, especially in Tekken and Destrega.
Those moments were really special to me because I could see him turn into a kid again, and that was deeply moving—since he usually had a reserved personality and rarely showed that more childlike side of himself.
Now that I’m well into adulthood, I can say with certainty that video games didn’t just give me intense pleasure and stimulation, but they also helped me develop a pragmatic outlook on life.
That said, looking back, I do think there were times in my youth when I should’ve taken better advantage of certain social opportunities. At the time, though, video games were among my top priorities...
But there’s no point crying over spilled milk: back then, that’s what I wanted—and that’s that.