Humble Beginnings
Little baby me
I was once a baby, full of promise, an unwritten future with endless possibilities. I got the same speech most kids get, “You can grow up to be whomever you want to be.” however missing from that speech was some crucial information. No one told me that making something of yourself required hard work and dedication, two things I have found myself lacking in for most of my life. I enjoyed being a child so much it’s as if subconsciously I made a decision to never grow up. I did grow out of the baby fat though.
In my late 30’s I was still a child at heart and it was extremely difficult to find my place in the world. Where did I go wrong? I had one of the best childhoods, all toys, games, and candy with no responsibilities… oh wait, maybe that’s where I went wrong? I grew up on video games, coke and martial arts flicks. I have nothing but fond memories of my childhood and a lot of that has to do with how my parents raised me. I was free to do many things, nothing unsafe social services, with very little restrictions. I believe it was the puppy look that liberated me from possible parental tyranny.
Puppy look hard at work, not sure where I learned it
Looking back now I see how spoiled I was and despite loving every minute of it I’d have to say some key life lessons were lost on me because of it. I traded in a keen interest in the world for an intimate relationship with my toys. I spent many hours with my Legos, G.I. Joes and a Fisher Price doctors kit, I’m sure I’m not alone on that last one.
Having no income at that age an essential ingredient in acquiring all these toys was my continued “belief” in Santa Clause and I “believed” for a very long time. Having a younger sister also helps in this area. Of course I wasn’t a complete hermit, I did make friends in and out of school and despite the rumours in my family I did not start dating at a young age. My first real girlfriend was at the tender young age of nineteen, a late bloomer really.
Girlfriend or freaky doll that appears in horror flicks?
One fateful day however all of that changed, it was one of those moments where you knew from this point on life would never be the same. During a Christmas get together at my grandma’s, my father hooked something up to the television I had never seen before. Pong was my first introduction to gaming and let me tell you it was love at first sight. Who could ever forget the glorious paddles, the three game modes, (Ping Pong, Tennis and Hockey) which were really small variations of the same game, and the high quality sound effects. That moment cemented my addiction to the electronic entertainment world and it only grew stronger with age.
The initial investment in time and money was moderate but that was surely tied to my lack of income, which I’m sure many people can relate to. In fact the whole entertainment industry consumes a significant part of my free time still to this day, so much so that my wife calls it my part-time job… she’s got quite the sense of humour and I love her for it.
Naturally after having been exposed to such incredible digital magic I wanted that very magic at home. And so began my weekly parent nagging for a home console of my own. At the time there was one major player, Atari, and a number of competitors. I’m pretty sure my dad enjoyed playing these games himself from time to time so it wasn’t long before Christmas came along and I got my very own Coleco Vision along with Donkey Kong.
My love affair with video games continued to grow and I just could not get enough. A friend of mine had gotten the Atari and between the two of us we strategically selected the top games for each that we wanted to play.
Me before the video game days, perhaps if they didn’t exist I would have gone on to become a guitar hero
To this day, in my mid-40’s I’m still playing games. I’ve naturally become a lot more selective of the types of games I’m willing to spend time playing, I’ve learned that strong story driven games that involve a lot of thinking and puzzle/mystery solving are what capture my heart and mind most. It is because of this hobby and the types of games I play that my mind seems to have been optimized for problem solving and is hyper creative, a trait that serves me well at work and in life.
So while my beginnings were humble, my digital life was anything but. I’ve lived grand adventures of world saving, extreme close calls, space exploration, and so much more. As I grew older my pastime matured as well and now this once childish hobby has become the biggest entertainment industry in the world surpassing the movie and music industry combined. So many advances in technology have been borne out of gamers wanting more out of their games and still we keep pushing. I’m not sure I will ever give this hobby of mine up, most likely with kids my weekly quota will surely suffer but one day I wonder if it will be a venue where we might find new ways of bonding and sharing experiences. One thing is for sure, there’s already plenty of toys in the house waiting for their humble beginning, and I stand waiting with open arms to share them all.
Cedric Jean-Marie
