Article: Top 5 Gaming Influences

This week’s article is a personal reflection piece – the 5 games I’ve played that have influenced my life the most, and what impact they’ve had on me.

Rockfall – Atari ST

Though not a game I actually played much – it was too difficult for me at a young age – this is probably the game that influenced me the most. I used to spend hours watching my Grandma play Rockfall, directing her little brown egg-character through mazes collecting things and avoiding rocks. This is one of the earliest strategic puzzle games I came into contact with, and if it wasn’t for the time I spent sharing her enjoyment I might never have played games at all.

Jungle Strike – Sega

Had to be added as my first method of stress relief. When I first played the game, I didn’t really know what I was doing. But, after a few hours of practice, I got the hang of killing terrorists – and Jungle Strike became my go-to game when I needed to take my emotion out on something. I gained more knowledge about myself and my levels of tolerance while making the world a better place.

Lylat Wars – N64

One of the best N64 games I have ever played, and still one of my favourites. But that’s not the reason I have to include it on this list. Quite simply, Lylat Wars was the first story-based adventure-style game that I actually completed. At the time I had Super Mario 64, and that was taking long enough on its own. Most other games I got bored of pretty early on and never saw through. But Lylat wars kept me hooked from start to adrenaline-fuelled finish, and I loved every second.

Primal – PS2

In a time before Primal, I played many different types of games. Some of them had an RPG style, but none made quite the same impact as this one. To me, Primal was grungy, dark and serious. It had more realism to it, with characters in real risk of death – blood on the floor, doctor’s conversations about theis injuries. A long way from the “oops, I did it again” approach to dying. Alongside this realism, there was a strong emotional connection. The characters had good repor, and some of the comments I found genuinely funny, while enjoying their building relationship. The main character, Jen, is still one of my favourite gaming heroines. And even at the end, with a slight prodd at a spoiler, you’re not left knowing for certain that everything will end happily ever after – at least, not for everyone.

Left 4 Dead – Xbox 360

Yes, this one is much more recent than most of the others, but it still had a strong impact on me. In a time before Left 4 Dead, I didn’t like first-person shooters. In fact, I hated them! Not being able to see behind me? Yea, right! I want to know who I am when I’m shooting you in the face. Another strong position I held with games was that I despised multiplayer. I’ve always been a little competative, and I can be quite sensitive when I first play a game, so jumping online and facing strangers was a huge no no! Then, after a play around with some on-the-rails games like Resident Evil: Umbrella Chrinocles on the Wii, I had a little go on my friend’s Left 4 Dead. I absolutely loved it, coaxed all my friends into buying it, and quickly managed to not only get over 3/4 of the achievements but helped them on things they were stuck with too. My confidence in gaming has shot up tenfold, I’ll happily play FPS games now, and multiplayer isn’t some dirty act we never speak about.

So, there you have it. There are many games I debated adding to this list and couldn’t – it was tricky to narrow down. But after careful thought, these are my 5 most influential games. Have a think sometime – can you name your top 5?

Kirsty Watkinson