Wolf’s Wicked Words: Looking Back At The “Good Old Days”

The Phantom of the Opera.

Now that I have all the gaming / opera enthusiasts’ attention, while losing the ones that cannot stand anything with a violin, flute and / or trombone. Please allow me the few lines that will occupy your screen and explain within this point in time. Starting now.

The Phantom of the Opera will be something etched into my mind for a long time to come. I was very fortunate to watch it not once, but twice last year. I didn’t know that I was to watch it a second time, so I soaked in everything of the experience with more than enough enthusiasm. The insanely decorated décor, the actors, the people around me and even the seat numbers of both occasions. I even bought the soundtrack upon my first viewing. While opera and musicals may not be everyone’s idea of an indelible experience, it was without a doubt one of the most superb experiences I had within the entertainment industry.

BUT!

I’m not here to talk to you about any music and opera within gaming. The one aspect I had to bring to your attention is the insurmountable amount of remembrance connected to a certain event. I had a conversation yesterday with a friend which sparked something in my mind and forced me on a trip down memory lane. My memory down a more gaming-focused memory lane. As if I’m a fan of games, what a bunch of baloney… (Intended sarcasm that sounded better in my mind.)

We as gamers, or even just as regular non-gaming folk like to talk about the good old days. It’s easy to refer to earlier times and think about choices and what you could’ve done when you could make that decision again with your current knowledge. Many of us, myself included, wished the current school grade at that point in time to blow over without having it feel as outstretched as it indeed were.

Even though I wished my days to pass and forget about household happenings, there will still be memories I wouldn’t want to fade or certain gaming-related memories to achromatise. Of all the gaming related memories I accumulated over the years; I will never forget the day I went to buy Grand Theft Auto Vice City. So many details still etched into my mind. I visited my friend and the walked to my local gaming shop (who called me to divulge in the fact that someone traded the game in the previous day), the next day.

I barely had enough money. Luckily I had enough to scrape together and looting the purses of a few elderly women didn’t hurt either.

It was a walk I took with utmost pride. I was finally going to be able to play something I’ve been craving for a very long time. I have to admit that this was in 2005, with GTA Vice City being old news by then. I wasn’t even 100% sure that it would run smoothly on our PC. It did and I was oh, so, thankful for that.

I didn’t have the luxury to buy a game on a regular basis and whenever one came my way, I gladly accepted it with open arms and perhaps with a little too much enthusiasm. I’m very lucky and fortunate to be able to acquire a game on a regular basis these days.

Something that would cause most gamers to cringe nowadays, made me to feel like the luckiest person in the entire galaxy back then. It was such a big deal for me, so much so that I woke up the next morning struggling to accept the fact that I indeed owned the game and would be able to play it again soon. It is a feeling not easily described in words. If I were to describe it in words it would probably be along the lines of the following: complete happiness coupled with a tremendous amount of relief, while adding a dash of unreal joy. To tell the truth, that description doesn’t even do it justice according to the emotion I felt.

I still get as excited as a hare on a high-grade stimulant about buying or getting a new game. For some reason it felt so much more pure back then. It may only be the fact that games were more of a rarity for me in that point in time. Perhaps it is just nostalgia, I honestly don’t know for certain.

Like many memories, the day I received GTA Vice City, stands out without any doubt whatsoever. Sure, there’s other memories and more will appear and make their mark along the course of my existence.

Since you’ve gotten this far, please share with us some of your vivid gaming-related memories.

See you in two weeks.