Keep it positive, San Diego.
When I was a child, playing on the hand me down Sega Genesis with my little brother and neighborhood friends, I knew I was drawn to them for some reason. Perhaps it was because I could take control of the characters that I loved on television, like the Power Rangers, Ninja Turtles, and the X-Men. Fast forward a few years, and a friend introduces me to Pokemon. My life changed forever.
It’s hard to describe how or why I fell in love with video games. I specifically remember playing Pokemon obsessively, as all kids of my age did, and getting immersed in the world and reveling in the competition around the game. It was fun, strategic and the reason why I made friends with the people that I am still friends with today. Video games created something for us to bond over, and Pokemon was sort of the catalyst for me. As years progressed, our tastes evolved. Then everything changed for me again in middle school when I gazed at the intro sequence of Metroid Prime, the game that officially ignited my passion for video games as a medium.
During that time, things in life were beginning to get more difficult. The school environment was getting rougher for geeks like my friends and I. Things at home weren’t consistently smooth. The only thing that was able to take me out of those stresses, and give me something to look forward to were my video games. I began to get more and more involved in the storytelling and gameplay. It was an escape like no other, and helped me through some of the toughest times in my early life.
I play video games because they’re fun. I play video games because they tell great stories, with fascinating characters. I play video games for the same reason people watch television, or movies, or listen to music. It’s a way to interact with a world unlike the one we live in, and have an effect on the outcome. It’s a way to topple and overcome a challenge that at first may seem too daunting to conquer. Video games provide a sense of satisfaction that not many other mediums can meet with.
Whether it’s one of the hundreds of Pokemon that I’ve raised since ‘98, badasses like Garrus Vakarian, underdog heroes like the Prince of Persia, tragic men like Joel or silent heroes like Samus Aran, video games have created tons of characters, worlds and gameplay experiences that I interact with and absorb. Video games can be whatever the creator or player wants them to be. Video games bring people together, to accomplish a goal or to compete. And one day, video games will be the way in which I can leave my own mark on the world. These are the reasons why I game.
--JD Lewis
You ask, "Why do you love video games?" First, my favorite genre of video games is the RPG. I enjoy that genre in particular because I like to explore and interact with the worlds in the games and battle evil with a great array of spells and weapons. They feed into my imagination. For a couple of hours I can pop in a disc and get lost in the city of Midgar away from my everyday existence in central Oklahoma. But I don't just like RPGs. I also like fighting games, action-adventures, and the occasional racer when I feel like gaming socially and showing off my skills. One of my favorite hangouts when I was a kid was the arcade.
Second, I like talking shop with fellow gaming enthusiasts. I like showing off the collection of games I've amassed over the past 30-plus years. I've gotten to meet people like Nobuo Uematsu. I've made a lot of friends in gaming over the years. It's cool that 20 years later we're still talking about battling Ganon or the death of Aerith.
I grew up playing video games on classic consoles such as NES, Super NES, and N64. My love for games was so strong I could never really get away from them, even when I went to college. I especially enjoy buying and playing old games, as I have five retro consoles.
I suppose the reason why I love games so much is because they can do what nothing else in life can do: they can be fun, challenging, intense, and satisfying all at the same time. Games really bring people together. I can see this was true of me and my brothers growing up, and also with my friends. We would all get together to play some games for hours on end, and these are some of my fondest memories. Beating a game can bring more satisfaction than many other things because it takes real skill and time. So I love games not just because they're fun, but because they're satisfying.
Sense of adventure seems to be the common theme here and I would have to say that's a big part of the reason I game as well. That plus Casey's point about actually having hard work and determination pay off (having spent a year in the "real" world after college before coming back, I know exactly where he's coming from) is what I mean when I say games make me feel like I'm "doing something."
Now if only I'd put it as eloquently as other people. lol Great article!
great job guys!
Page 4 is the sexiest page. I'm on it with Julian and we totally own it.
I'm glad this feature finally came out, it turned out really great. There were more contributers than I thought, and a lot of interesting perspectives.
I put you on the same page with me on purpose. It just felt right, since we go so far back with our blogging. 
Everybody makes very valid points. Awesome article! It's great to be able to include everyone. Pixlbit should do stuff like this more often.
I would love for us to do more of this. Sorry it took so long to get it published!
Great job putting this together, Julian. I shared on FB, hoping some of my non-gaming older friends might read it and give them a better understanding of those of us who do game. No response from any of them, though.
Well this is certainly a pleasant surprise. I had forgotten about this. It's great to see my submission on here. Not to mention all the other great replies. 
I forgot I contributed something to this.
Excellent Julian, Excellent.
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