Gifts of Christmas past - the best games I've unwrapped for the holidays

         

                                     

Christmas is a time for friends, family, celebration, and spreading joy to all humanity. But let's cut to the chase, people... It's about the presents! For me, that meant video games! When I was growing up, video games were a huge expense. This meant two things. I got new games for my birthday and Christmas. The rest of the year was spent playing games at a buddy's place or borrowing games.

I'm not mad, though. This always meant Christmas was one of the most anticipated holidays year-round. Screw football because December 25th quite literally was "game day," or should I say, "video game day,"  and the tradition is still going strong.

There's a ritual to it. Waking up in the morning, going to the tree, and wondering, is this that PS5 I asked Santa for? Adds to the game day excitement. The highly coveted Super Nintendo was the first system I ever received for Christmas. During this time, we were at the height of the Genesis/Nintendo wars (Now you can get Sonic on a Nintendo product... very trippy). My cousin convinced me I needed to switch from a Sega Genesis to a SNES.

My mom must have been listening because I woke up with a pleasant Christmas surprise. A new system, and The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past under the tree. This would be my first introduction to the series, but my Super Nintendo (which I still have) would also be the vessel that introduced me to Much more. Megaman X, Super Metroid, Donkey Kong Country, Street Fighter Turbo, and... the title which was the bane of my existence, Math Blaster.

But it wouldn't be the last system I would get on Christmas, and the Playstation One changed my life. My first game was Area 51, a light gun shooter where the goal was to shoot zombie soldiers and aliens. This was the coolest thing ever. But through the Playstation, I would own my first Survival Horror game Resident Evil 2, and even my first RPG, Final Fantasy VIII.

The most dramatic reveal was when there were no games under the tree. My mom hid the Sega Dreamcast I'd been asking for to see how I would handle no games on Christmas. It was also the most memorable reveal. After the last present was opened, A brand new Dreamcast was pulled from the closet. This marked my return to Sega (I skipped the Sega CD), and my first games were Soulcalibur and Shenmue. I call that "The Triple S Christmas" after Sega Dreamcast, Shenmue, and Soulcalibur, respectively.

Christmas is a time of joy, family, and coming together. Of course, it's more than just the consoles that make this day special. It's the sense of nostalgia that accompanies it all. Setting up the system with my mom and playing games with my cousins. Staying up late in the night, playing new titles, and feeling the warmth surrounding the gaming ritual meant everything to me.

This year, I was surprised when I was gifted a Sega Genesis Mini. After living abroad for so long, it was my first Christmas home in ages. Having presents under the tree and reliving "game day" meant more to me than the console itself. Well almost...

                                       Me at Christmas (a long time ago)

Christmas has come and gone, but the feelings and memories surrounding it remain with me. Looking back at how I've developed as a gamer means thinking of Christmas past and seeing how these very consoles have shaped my hobbies and interests as an adult today.

And that's what the holidays are all about. Not about the presents, but that special feeling that reminds you of the people you love the most. I'll always remember the people who did their best to make Christmas as magical as possible and used video games to do it! As an adult, it's my Christmas wish to pay this feeling forward.

Happy holidays!

💬 What did you get for Christmas? Send a photo or leave a comment below!