what are your guys first gaming experiences?

[miguk]

My dad let me go into an arcade during a family trip. I had no idea what the place was, what these big TV boxes were, or what a video game was. Saw "cartoons" on them and weird sticks (and sometimes guns!) in front of the screens, as well as slots that asked for coins. Came to the shocked realization it was some sort of coin-operated game where you control the "TV show". This was some seriously futuristic stuff to me. (For the record, my pop culture awareness up to this point was just PBS, Saturday morning cartoons, Gisnep, and classic literature.) Spent half my pocket change on Rampage, the other half on Operation Wolf. Dad refused to give me more change or time at the arcade, though eventually got me a NES (SMB/Duck Hunt edition).

 

[tigg]

Sitting in the house playing Pong with my brother when I was around 3 or so. We played the crap out of that little console.

 

[AnonymousCookieMonster]

First experience that i remember...

I'm told my mom would put on the Atari and have it do asteroids and i'd watch it when i was like 2-3. And i know i played Defender, watched Fort Apocalypse, and PacMan, River-rat, Spy Hunter, Captain Cosmos, Crazy Chopper, Jumpman, My ABC's, Questron, Castle Wallenstein, Hangman, battleship, some type of stocks buy/selling game, Joust, Mission to mars, Last Starfighter, ET, to name a few. Had dreams i could type a command on the Atari and make a Superman game pop up, but when i went to show it off BASIC just said it was a syntax error. hmmm disappointed...

But the first experiences i can likely call my own that i can remember, would be when my brother rented a NES. so... 1989? Games he rented included TMNT, Megaman 3, and Rygar? Other memories include Rescue Rangers...

Also the main gas station had 2-3 arcade games, NARC, Robot Cop and Altered Beast come to mind. I played those a few times.