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Bkeela
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Brisbane, Australia
Oct 1999
time: 15:14
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I'm 27, and I haven't really considered myself to be odd because I still enjoy playing video games of all descriptions. [If I still played with my Star Wars figures, or joined in the local games of 'army' with the local kids - then I would be worried]
(Warning: the following is a subjective, nostalgic rant that may bore people with short attention spans. It is therefore advised that you simply scroll down to the next post)
My first exposure to video games were the arcade cabinets they had outside fish & chip shops, and other various shops around my town. My interest in playing them began with Space Invaders, and declined around the time Double Dragon ushered in the era of fighter games. Competition for playing these arcade machines was intense, and the politics involved around the local video machines was incredibly complicated. It was common to have a crowd of spectators huddled around you whilst you played, thus perfecting such games became an incredible badge of prestige in your community, and failure to achieve even average levels of competence earned such unfortunates scorn and ridicule. There were usually an elite group of bevan bullies who dominated such machines and mini-pinball palours, so a generation of nerds like myself had to endure many violent encounters, and cigarette burns in order to fight for our right to video game.
In the city there was a huge video arcade that was paradise for someone like me, and I only had access to such a Mecca if I waged [skipped] school. It only cost 20 cents per game, so it was quite affordable.
Eventually fight machines and stupid racing machines began to dominate, and prices rose from 20 cents to $3 for some machines! Asians who loved these simplistic games began to take over the arcade palours in my city, and I quickly lost interest in the arcade machine. And today, Asian gangs hang out in the big arcade palours in my city, and as far as I'm concerned, they are welcome to them. I often watch them dancing on their Disco games transfixed out of morbid curiousity. [Why these morons waste their money when consoles like Nintendo and Playstation are available, I don't know.]
Whilst I was still preoccupied with arcades, home consoles began to become available. I remember when I first saw Pong while my family were visiting friends. Pong was the only game the console played. I was hooked when I saw it, and burned with envy on the way home.
A Christmas or two later, I got my first video game console, but for the life of me I cannot remember its name. It was thrown in the trash ages ago [without my consent or knowledge]. It played various games using cartridges, and a few that were programmed into it also.
Then came along a range of battery operated, scrolling electronic games like Scrambler, and primitive hand held racing games that had moving plastic tracks. I had Futuretronics Scrambler. Great for their novelty of being totally portable.
Then Atari came onto the scene, and I began a relentless nag campaign to secure one for Christmas. We got our Atari 2600 in 1980/81 [?], and I shudder to imagine the amount of time I spent playing games such as Asteroids, Joust, Reactor, Pitfall, River Raid....etc. [I still have my Atari 2600.]
Around the time my interest in Atari declined, Apple IIE's were all the rage. I remember I would book time at my local library to play games on it like Load Runner, and dumb educational games which I never the less found fascinating at the time. But getting an Apple IIE was too much to expect for my Christmas wish list. Instead I got into Nintendo Game & Watch handheld LCD games.
Then came the great Commodore 64, which I was obsessed with for many years. Heaps cheaper than Apple's, or the IBM computers that were becoming trendy at that time; and ten times better. Plus fully colour: monochrome monitors were not needed, cause you could just connect it up to your t.v. like regular video game consoles. Commodore games were the closest thing available to proper arcade machine graphics, and the best thing of all: there was a great network of other users in my area, so as long as you had a disk drive, you could have as many games as your heart desired. I ended up collecting way too many games that I could ever possibly hope to fully explore, so I guess this is when my first collector instinct concerning video games kicked in. Out of hundreds of games, I only had a half dozen I actually had paid money for 
After this period I hit a period devoid of gaming, where I became interested in other things like girls, drugs, rock music and booze. Eventually I came to my senses and bought an IBM compatible 386, and my first exposure to complicated strategy games like Civ.
I've since played what Nintendo and Sony has offered up these days, but playing arcade games is little challenge anymore. Playing Quake or Half-Life on a network is about as close as I come to really being absorbed by action games these days. I almost exclusively play solo strat games on my own now.
So, with so many other friends equally obsessed with video games, I have never considered myself to be abnormal because I'm still interested in such things.
Anyway, even when I'm an old man of 80, I shall always be interested in the latest technology in entertainment, which will probably be full blown virtual reality then. I guess my parents generation are still intrigued by television, but because I have witnessed the advent of the video game era, it will always interest me.
Bkeela.
[This message has been edited by Bkeela (edited December 03, 2000).]
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samurai
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Kristiansand,Vest-Agder,Norway
Sep 2000
time: 05:14
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I`m 19,been playing all the games in the civ series.My first time was when I was 9 i think, on an old amiga 1000.But it took a coupple of years before me and my brother found out that changing the government actually was a good idea.
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Sky Dog
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Tucker, GA USA
Jul 2000
time: 00:14
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I've been a Sky Dog for 31 years.
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Dragonfly
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San Francisco, CA, USA
Nov 2000
time: 21:14
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40. Been at it since college, with players in the Wargames club, playing old gigundous games like Atlantic Wall. Also enjoyed Star Fleet Battles and Dungeons and Dragons.
Nowadays, nobody to play with but computer AI. So, when I'm not in the middle of some other project, I load up a computer sim.
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Since everyone is writing about the journey to CtP, I'll share mine too. (I've posted my age earlier in this thread).
Like a lot of other people, I started with the typical board games, and found Avalon Hill's Civilization in 1986. I simply loved it, and played it on and off for another 8 years. I went on to other strategy board games and became Secretary of my school's 'Tactical Games Club'. I eventually got a pc in '93, and my club president introduced me to [i]Civ{/i], which I immediately liked and got hooked to. After which playing other games like Colonization and CIvnet came readily. I also spent quite a lot of time on Civ2, which I played throughout my University years. Then I finally found CtP last year and have been playing it since. Now I'm waiting for CtP2 to come to the local games shops.
And that's my story.... 
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Visit CivGaming Network
Post on CGN Forums
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There goes my theory that CTP only appealed to kiddies.
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Chaos, panic and disorder - My work here is done.
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TheBirdMan
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A real Master of CTP-PBEM - together with all the others.....
Sep 1999
time: 05:14
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Ok - 43 a few months more.
Going through TPG II (ThePerfectGeneral)(ms-dos), Risk (ms-dos), CIV II, Ceasar III, SMAC to CTP and in a short time - I hope - CTP II.
Had a halfpart in both Ceasar and SMAC - but sold the SMAC to get the full Ceasar.
By the way - the old dos TPG II had a advantage, that I miss in these new windows games: You actually could see longer over sea, grassland and plains than you could in forrest, hills and mountains! As far as I remembered, default line of sight was 3, but varied from 2 to 10-15?? (can't remember any more). This LOS was reduced heavy in forrest, hills and mountains. If situated the right place you were actually able to ambush a much stronger unit - and get away after the attack.
Units could also bombard over several tiles!
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ak
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44.
Chess since about, what, 10 or so?
Strat-O-Matic Pro Football board game at about 13 - one of the most fun strategy games of all. Of course it helps if you're a sports and statistics fan. And it only took 2 hrs to play!
Avalon Hill at about 14 ('71). Lost patience with massive unit board games after dog wagged tail one last time.
Pong in the later 70's. Just right for my mentality at the time.
Dabbled w computer games in the 80's. Stopped for several years.
Picked up Railroad Tycoon and Civ2 about 3 yrs ago. Impressed with ability to play complex game without aformentioned dog problem.
Now CTP2.
Onward ho!
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Alpha Wolf
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Prince of the Barbarians
Feb 2001
time: 05:14
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I always wondered if all my ole AH gaming buddies would still be gaming. I'm 36 and started with risk, then AH (loved D-day). Moved up to Axis and Allies and Mule (for those that remember the old commodore 64s). Then hit Castles and got suck in by civ type games. Wish I had more locals to play face to face cuz the AI just aint much competetion.
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Yatermie
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N. Vancouver, Denial
Nov 2000
time: 05:14
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I'm 18. Been playing civ since civ 1 way back when.
I consider myself an old-school gamer who prefers gameplay over the graphics because when i started, there were no fancy graphics.
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Dominous Nemo
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Some Place, N.Y. USA
Nov 2000
time: 05:14
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I noticed that alot of ppl here play chess. I am also a chess feen ever since 6 yrs old (even though I didn't know how to play I still found making war with the army fun.)
CIV/CTP games are awsome but it will never beat a good old game of chess.
PS: I thought smac su$ked also!
PSS: If anyone is up for a game of chess email me.
[This message has been edited by Dominous Nemo (edited December 05, 2000).]
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hroman21
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Mason, OH, USA
May 1999
time: 05:14
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I'm 29 and my very first computer game I played was called Midway from Avalon Hill on a Pet Commodore computer which used a cassette player to load. That was back in...1982. Ever since I have played all sorts of strategy games like Empire, RFTS, Empire Deluxe, Starfleet 2, MOO, MOM, Fantasy Empires, X-Com 1 & 2, Spaceward Ho! v4.0, MOO2, Civ 1, Civ 2, SW Rebellion, SMAC, BoTF, HOMM 3, AOE2, CCTP, & more recently CTP2. This does not include the over 50+ games I have accumulated over time from flight sims, RTS, RP, FP action and of course, strategy.
I can honestly say that I am a hopelesly addicted computer game player who cannot wait to get his hands on the next game. Right now I am contemplating to acquire SFC2, SE IV, Stars!2, WC3, & Emperor Dune.
Regards,
hroman21
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"Laughter is the most powerful weapon ever created. Against laughter, nothing stands!"
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Crimson Phalanx
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Ilion, Athens, Greece
Nov 2000
time: 05:14
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I am 25, Chemical Enginner, first masters in Biotechnology, second in Business Administration... If there was another master for getting a certificate in Call to Power I would be glad to attend the course!
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For thine be the kingdom and the power and the glory forever
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Mr.Green
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Paarl,Western Cape,South Africa
Jun 2000
time: 05:14
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I'm 27. COBOL programmer. Civ I was the first or was it Railroad Tycoon?
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Mike the Nuke
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Oakdale
Oct 2000
time: 05:14
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I'm 45 and am retire form the U.S. NAVY. My wife is slightly youger (still in her 30's). My daughters, who also play the game with us (Hot SEat Mode only) are in their teens (High School, 16 and 18 espectively). My son who also plays in teh Hot Seat games is 13. His friend who also plays in our Hot Seat games is about 15 (Freshman in High School I think). In CTP-1 and CIV2-TOT, we play Hot Seat games with a couple AI's added in (usually 5-7 players total, sometimes 8). If we are not all available, we play Hot Seat games of 4-5 including the AI's. The bottom line is that Hot Seat is very important to us and that age of the players is not really that important (though interesting). We also (my son and I) play a lot of racing games (NASCAR, NHRA, etc) We are avid race fans and have the 10-Time NHRA Winston Funny Car Champion John Force as a friend.
So there you have it. Drag Racing fans can and will play Civ games too!
I also owned and played ATARI 2600 games, ATARI 800 Computer games, and PC games (8088 cpu types). Our family enjoys a good game of quality and entertainment value. AI's are of little interest to us. In fact, those are the first civilizations we attack and beat the crap out of in our Hot Seat games! Then we get serious amongst ourselves.
If a game gets good reviews in areas that interest me, looks good in its description and is not one player (or internet, LAN play) only (this applies to war and Civ type games only), we buy it and try it.
We own a Play Station and a Super Nintendo. We don't do much with the SNES any more, but still mess around with the Play Station.
We do play games like the SIMS (initial and Livin' Large), Sim City 3000, Railroad Tycoon(Deluxe/Gold), Risk I and II, PGA Golf games, Myst & Raven(mostly my wife and daughters), Commandos to name a few. Many of these are single player, but we play Civ games in Hot Seat Only. I have played some single player, but usually become bored and quit as does my wife, ddaughters and son.
I also play 'Rock Guitar' and own a 1976 Gibson Les Paul Custom. I grew up on Creedance Clearwater Revival, Jimi Hendrix, the Stones, Santana, Zepplin, The Beattles and Neil Young. I also listen to Montrose, and lots of Van Halen. I enjoy playing many of the Van Halen tunes, Hendrix, Montrose, Black Sabbath, DIO, Deep Purple, Aerosmith, Lynard Skynerd, Neil Young, Creedance, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Eric Johnson, Eric Clapton, Spin Doctors, The Smitherines, Joe Satriani, Tom Petty, etc, etc (I think you get the idea).
In other words...computers and games (of nearly all types) are not "just for nerds" anymore (Ha Ha) or "kids" either.
In closing, I must say that this was a very interesting subject post. Nice idea.
The two Web Sites I visit most are:
NHRA.com and this one.
I helped my son with his site (a racing site)
http:\\BigJeffWeb.homestead.com\welcome.html for those interested in drag racing photos.
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03-12-2000 11:53
Well, my name is MapleLeaf, I am 36 and I am a Civ adict! I play civ games since original. Some of them I didn't like much (SMAC) but even in such a case I keep the game. Why? Because I "collect and treasure" them! 
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