I’ve never been a guy that gets all that into competitive gaming. Sure, it’s fun to watch some skilled players go at it from time to time, but I’d rather just sit down and play the thing myself. Up until the recent bouts of watching pro StarCraft 2 players, I’ve never understood why someone could sit and watch someone else play a game for hours. I just assumed StarCraft 2 was different because of the level of the players.
All that changed over Christmas break, when I discovered Siglemic on Twitch TV. You see, Siglemic is a Super Mario 64 player. And not just any Super Mario 64 player – he’s the recent world record holder for a 120-star speed run. I watched in awe over most of the break to see him capture this record, and sat there for a number of failed attempts as he dodged, dove and ran impressively through the game’s many challenges in just under 2 hours.
I’m not sure if it’s just the joy of seeing Super Mario 64 in motion again that had me so enthralled, the skill of Siglemic, or both. But needless to say, I’m fascinated with watching people stream themselves playing through old games right now. I think part of the fun of this is just experiencing some nostalgia with thousands of people (Siglemic had up to 7000 people at a time watching him try to beat the record) all at the same time. Ever since then, I’ve been checking out people playing through Final Fantasy VII, IX, X and even Metal Gear Solid 2 and 4. And somehow it’s riveting.
Have you guys ever checked out streaming games on Twitch TV? What game would it take to get you hooked on speed runs? Go!
Yikes. While we tend to dissect a lot of other people’s lists a lot, we have established well and good that it is something that inherently is appealing to gamers. We live to tear other people’s gaming favorites apart and interject our own. 
One of the defining moments in my life as a gamer happened at a locally owned video game store down the highway from my house. I remember I used to walk there every day, simply to see what used games I could pick up, or what new games they had on display. The owner even let you put in whatever you wanted so you could try it out right there. 
Remember back in the day, when there was nothing like PSN or XBox Live or Steam for you to monitor what your friends were doing and see their trophies or achievements? Back then, they could say whatever they wanted, and you had to take them at face value. There’s a dude named Ermac in Mortal Kombat, they would say. Or you can resurrect Aeris, they’d report. Lies!
It’s finally the week of Christmas, and I’m really not sure how that happened. Last I checked, it was like November or something, but here we are, and I’ve now time traveled into the future. Seeing as how it’s that time of the year, I’m almost certain that by the end of the week I’m going to have added some games to my collection, as I’m sure is the case for many of you.
Imagine that you wake up on an island. You know, kind of like in Castaway or Lost, minus the smoke monsters and the volleyballs and the weird. And it’s just you there, for the rest of your life. Only, imagine you find a small room (a hatch, if you will) with a TV, and some game consoles, and a small box full of just a handful of games…