My oldest memories are of playing games. I started playing when I was four, before I could really read or write. We had a Spectrum 128k, my best friend had an Atari 2600 and, for one memorable summer, we owned a Space Invaders arcade machine (the one that was like a table, with controls on both sides).
People say to me that I didn't know any better at the time. What looked and seemed amazing back then is just shit now.
And I have to disagree. Because I thought it was shit back then as well.
I remember going to the arcade and playing Outrun. It always annoyed me that the most exciting stuff seemed to be way off in the distance. I always wanted to reach that city and be able to drive through it. And not just down one road, but be able to explore it. Maybe get out of the car and be able to go into buildings.
So, basically, it took games until about Grand Theft Auto 3 to catch up with what I wanted.
And nowadays, with my PlayStation 3 and XBox 360, I've never been happier. I just logged 200 hours playing through Fallout 3 and all its expansion packs. As far as I'm concerned, that's the sort of game I want. Not a shitty platformer, with flickery graphics and four colours onscreen where everything kills you instantly. I had more than enough of that when I was a child.