David Farrier: Why Gaming Is Important To Me

Play online with David Farrier this Thursday - read below.

The first games I played are a bit foggy in my head, but they all form into a warm fuzz of nice memories: there’s the epic gameplay of Frogger, the playforming goodness of Dangerous Dave and Prince of Persia, and a weird bunch of games for the Acorn – including a game where you’d navigate this strange frog creature to the top of a tower. Of course Mario and Zelda are included in the mix – I wouldn’t be the man I am today without Nintendo. I wasn’t an avid gamer, but I’d play games when the opportunity came up.

Gaming snapped into focus for me the second I played Quake at a mate’s house. Sure, I’d done a bit of Doom here and there, but it wasn’t until I picked up a nail gun in Quake that my brain got really, really excited. Maybe it was the feeling of dread the game conjured up, or the portals to other dimensions. Maybe it was the involvement of my favourite musician Trent Reznor and his boxes of Nine Inch Nails scattered throughout the levels. Whatever it was, I played Quake… and then I played some more. I’d go to school, but all I could think about was playing Quake. I’d console myself during maths by opening up that level of Doom easter egg in Microsoft Excel. But that just wasn’t the same… and I’d find myself rushing home at 3:30pm with only one thing on the brain.

Another big turning point was Descent 2. I’d been a big fan of the first Descent, and would often dial-up my mate Lawrence to play over the 36k modem. But it was the sequel that really nailed the graphics and gameplay – even the Guidebot didn’t annoy me. Oh, how I enjoyed that last desperate escape out to the surface of an exploding planet. It was genius. Descent 3 let the team down, but hey – all good series have to come to an end.

Quake 2 was a stunner – heads flying off and flies landing on the bodies. The soundtrack was amazing, and got me into gaming soundtracks. Half Life and Half Life 2 followed (Oh Gordon and your crowbar) – and with those two games, I ended my stint as a PC gamer. I’d just seen all I wanted to see. I was happy. Content.

All went quiet for a while – I didn’t get on the Xbox or PS2 bandwagon – sure, I had them in the flats I lived in, but never really played. I left that for my amazing flatmates (excluding the one who never left his room thanks to World of Warcraft).

Then came the 360 at a friends house, and the PS3. Heavenly Sword sealed the deal – I abandoned the idea of constantly upgrading my PC’s graphics card, RAM and processor – and just got myself a nice big TV. Sorted.

I lost myself in the world of twang twang, blown away at how far we’d come, graphically at least, since Half Life 2 (the stories never top HL2). With an Xbox 360 and PS3 in my hands there was no turning back: Modern Warfare, Metal Gear Solid 4, Ninja Gaiden 2, Fallout 3, Uncharted. I was, and still am, addicted to shooters. I’m not adverse to some Rock Band, Guitar Hero and DJ Hero – but shooters are what it comes down to.

And while I’ll do some shooting and slashing on a Wii, I like sitting stationary with a controller in my hand. Maybe the Wii’s just too much of a jump from the keyboard-mouse combo I grew up with. The controller is enough of a leap. But yeah – shooters are my thing, because occasionally – just occasionally – I’ll get flashbacks to that feeling when I switched on Quake. That primal excitement. I lose myself, and don’t want to come back.

Speaking of which, lets kill some zombies. And lets celebrate our wonderful R18 rating system that lets us play games like Left For Dead 2. Lets mess up the Infected this Thursday, 8-9pm, on the 360. Whoever gets the worst zombie head count has to... I dunno, we'll think of something humiliating...

- By David Farrier, 3 News.