I’ve enjoyed playing video games since I was very young. It didn’t matter what platform the game was on: arcade, PC, console, and now mobile – you name it and I played it. I’ve loved side-scrollers, first person shooters, MMOs, RPGs, MMORPGs…just give me all of it.
But, my gaming life forever changed when I got my hot little hands on a copy of Final Fantasy VII. Though it had the number seven in the title, it was the first Final Fantasy game I played. I was hooked from the start, not only on the (at the time) gorgeous graphics, but the music was also beautiful (again with the music) and the storyline was immersive. It also marked the very first time I had what you might call a crush on a fictional character: Sephiroth.
I do enjoy a good villain. Anyway, it also marked the first time that a game made me cry. I won’t go into specifics in case there are still one or two people on this planet and somehow reading this blog that remain unaware of an extremely heartbreaking scene that takes place in the game. But, I was devastated by it and will likely never forget it. The audacity of it, to be honest, is something else that hooked me and drew me in.
Lastly, a song that plays near the end of the game, “One Winged Angel,” has become my personal fight song. When I’m angry, it can be a great song to listen to so that I can vent and blow off steam. However, when I’m angry it can be the wrong song to listen to because it sometimes incites me further.
I went on to play subsequent titles: Final Fantasy Tactics, Final Fantasy VIII, IX, and X. I also played other titles on my GameBoy Advance, and though I haven’t yet played any of the newer offerings, Final Fantasy remains my favorite overall series (my all-time favorite game is a different story altogether). I also have great appreciation for those that have created Animated Music Videos, or AMVs, which are clips from various games that are set to popular music.
I miss being able to play a really good game. My schedule has been such that there’s very little room for playtime. Work occupies most of my days, and my evenings are filled with a dedicated schedule that includes edits on the current novel and plans for the next one. But, I would like to make the time for a good RPG. I need to figure out how to do that.
More Final Fantasy titles have been released that I have not yet had the pleasure of indulging in. There is also a “reboot” of Final Fantasy VII with updated graphics in the works. Yes, please! I don’t much care for movie remakes, but I would play a new version of FFVII in a heartbeat.
For now, though, the novel awaits. Perhaps once I’ve finished going over the next half dozen chapters or so, I might treat myself to an interlude of Skyrim.
-me.
