Hawkflight Studios

Ignoring reality since 1983

I was one of those lucky kids in the 80's whose parents didn't think video games rotted the mind. Weirdly, my parents somewhat encouraged my video gaming as they bought me an Atari before I knew what they were. I also had a computer in my room that had a few games as well. Maybe it was because I was an only child and the games were an easy way to keep me out of their hair. Whatever it was, the bond was formed and never broke, even after they bought me E.T. and I spent hours trying to get out of a pit.

^{The stage music is still stuck in my head} The first big deal was when I visited a friend in 1985 and he had this neat new system called the Nintendo. It was so mind-blowingly awesome I went home and asked my parents for one. I don't remember what time of year it was when I asked, but for Christmas that year, there was a Nintendo under the tree. The hours I spent on it are innumerable. Super Mario Bros, Mega Man, Legend of Zelda, Bases Loaded, Tecmo Bowl, Metroid, Wild Gunman, Track and Field, Blades of Steel, Double Dribble, Castlevania, Shadowgate and of course many more. I had a subscription to Nintendo Power when it was the Nintendo Fun Club News magazine.

My enjoyment lasted several years, but when it came time for the first real console war between the Super Nintendo and the Sega Genesis, I opted for the latter. I don't remember the reason for my choice but I've never regretted it. The iconic Electronic Arts cartridges and games are what made me fall in love with the company. While my game library wasn't as prolific, I spent just as much time playing. And I didn't feel left out on the SNES front as that friend down the street had one as well as a cousin I'd visit frequently. Ever time I went there I'd beat all his best times in Super Punch Out, only to come back next time and find my name knocked off.

^{This and NHL 92 started my love of EA} I didn't play very many games on the computer, but did enjoy the occasional one like Eye of the Beholder or King's Quest. In high school, my best friend got me hooked on MUDs and I'd often get in trouble trying to log on in the middle of the night, only to have my loud typing give me away. The MUDs would be my main source of social exposure during my failed first college year. That year led me to try adulting without a college degree but with the money I got from working, I was able to buy a brand new PlayStation.

Video games were the highlight of a lot of places I'd go as well. Bowling league Saturdays? Can't wait to be done so I can play at the arcade. School trip to the roller rink? Spent most of it playing Gauntlet. Birthday parties at Fun World. Arcades at the mall. Playing Dance Dance Revolution for hours at the place that would later be featured as the arcade in Breaking Bad. Trying out the experiment that was Blockbuster's attempt at an arcade.

While I was still being blown away by EA's sports games, the game I particularly remember enjoying the most on the platform was the first Resident Evil. It was the perfect amount of puzzle, suspense, action, and horror to keep me occupied for ages. I didn't enjoy another Resident Evil title until Code Veronica on the Dreamcast. There was a lot more replayability in the sports games though, and I'd often find myself setting up leagues for the computer to play itself, even writing a program to schedule the league.

^{I'ma Luigi, #1!} When I went back to college, our house became the place to go for all console gaming needs. We had a Nintendo 64, PS2, Dreamcast, GameCube, and Xbox. In high school my friend and I had "guys' night out" but in college we changed it to game night. We'd invite a bunch of people over, order pizza, and play games all night. The biggest hits were Mario Kart, Goldeneye, and eventually Halo where we'd have a console in two separate rooms and play 4 on 4. I even started getting into PC games, starting my love affair with Blizzard in Warcraft II, StarCraft and Diablo.

With college over, my future wife and I moved into an apartment. We agreed to move into a ground floor apartment so that I wouldn't disturb downstairs neighbors when playing Dance Dance Revolution. Shortly after I'd get sucked into the world of MMORPGs, first with Final Fantasy XI then World of Warcraft not long after. I went to the midnight releases for both the Burning Crusade and Wrath of the Lich King.

^{My cat Drummer playing Rock Band} As the popularity of WoW started to wane and most of my friends stopped playing, I returned to console gaming. I got a PS3 and an XBox 360 and played a whole lot of Rock Band. In a couple years I'd get my dream job working at EA. There I got to work on games for the PS4 and XBox One before they were released. After my experience doing that, I decided only to get a PS4 and skip the Xbox that time around. That would be the last console I'd purchse.

Since then I've exclusively been gaming on the PC. I've played a lot of Cities: Skylines, Civilization 5 and 6, Hearthstone, and of course even more World of Warcraft. During the pandemic as a way to continue to socialize, I arranged a game night again, this time on Saturdays where we play a variety of board games on TableTop Simulator. I'm sure my parents thought I'd outgrow video games, but I sure showed them.

Honorable mention to other owned consoles: Game Boy, Sega Game Gear, Game Boy Advanced, PSP, Wii, and the Switch we were recently gifted.

^{Origin of the Hawkflight name from Genesis LPMud}