Topic: Your first video game experience

[Belmont Stakes]

Although the most practical, sexy, and probably obvious would be the first Pac Man (no not Pong circa 1972, me b. 1973) the first game that will always stick in my mind was not so much an arcade pixelated work like Pac-Man, Donkey Kong or Centipede but a driving game. I don't remember the name of it off hand but I can tell you it was basically like a film strip where if you crashed you got a close up of a fiery explosion before continuing the race (for some reason). I will try to get the name of the game but I forget it. I can tell you it wasn't Pole Position.

[X]

My first video game experience was with several different titles and all were on the NES. I was introduced to Super Mario Bros, Zelda II, Contra and Top Gun. My cousins had several different games besides those however I never played them. Trying out all these games seemed magical. It was a world that I was never exposed to, let alone heard about before. I will never forget it 

[VladCT]

Being born much later compared to most of the people here, my first gaming experiences were all on the SNES as a toddler, from Super Mario World to Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers, and it was wonderful. My nanny from back then being a natural at various games (can't count how many times I cried for her help, LOL) helped too, I guess.
BTW, doesn't this belong in the HG101 section?

[Bloodreign]

Although the most practical, sexy, and probably obvious would be the first Pac Man (no not Pong circa 1972, me b. 1973) the first game that will always stick in my mind was not so much an arcade pixelated work like Pac-Man, Donkey Kong or Centipede but a driving game. I don't remember the name of it off hand but I can tell you it was basically like a film strip where if you crashed you got a close up of a fiery explosion before continuing the race (for some reason). I will try to get the name of the game but I forget it. I can tell you it wasn't Pole Position.

Was it Night Driver? Don't remember if it had close ups though, but your car did look wrecked after.

Anyways mine was Laser Blast on Atari 2600 back in 1979 at the tender age of 4, I also remember watching my uncle play an Odysee II back in the day, never got to play it. Atari 2600 was my first system owned, had a lot of fun with it with Pitfall, Pac-Man (not so much this unfinished version now), Donkey Kong, and some other games. My first arcade game was likely if my memory serves me correctly, Galaga, then stuff like Time Pilot and Joust. Never saw a Space Invaders cab till I was well into my 20's, shame really, but still had a blast with it and Asteroids (though I played Asteroids in arcades far earlier).

Also ninja mind move.

[JR]

My memory is pretty fuzzy, but it could've been Pole Position (or hell, maybe even Pole Position II) on one of the sitdown-style machines. It was at this restaurant that I barely remember as a kid, save for the arcade and carousel it had. It was either that game or Shooting Master at a bowling alley, I'm not sure which one I played first. I know I couldn't have been any older than 5 either way.

I know the first game to have any real lasting impact on me was Double Dragon, but that came out when I was 6.

[Mooning Freddy]

Funny, I was thinking about this some time ago.
I would have to say that although it was not my first game, there was this one game that effected me greatly.
I never was an actual gamer, neither did I own any video-game systems. As a child, I was satisfied with playing games on the PC. It was mostly ported NES games or games made for MS DOS.

And then, I visited my friend and he showed me a game he had. It was probably 1998 or 1999, and I was around eleven years old. The game he played was unlike any I ever played. It had great graphics and gameplay (for the time period), nice sound effects and music, a complex storyline, and best of all, cool cinematic sequences after every level.

Guess which game it was?
It was Dune 2000.
Only around 5 years later I discovered the game was based on a novel, some more years later I discovered a movie and a miniseries were made about it, and only after watching the movies I finally decided to read the book.
The book is a cultural-philosophic tale unlike no other, but back when I saw the game I know nothing about it. It was the first RTS I ever saw and the idea of commanding an army in a sci-fi world I could only describe as "F*cking awesome".

Since then I fell in love with Tiberian Sun, Red Alert the other games by the great Westwood Studios. And then Westwood collapsed and the legend ended. But the inspiration DUNE 2000 gave me lives on in a novel I never take the time to write down. 

[Nail_Bombed]

First video game experience? 3D Monster Maze and Mazogs on the ZX81 home computer (born '79). After that it befell to me to look for more of this thing they call video games (mostly found on ferry trips across to England - where I was introduced to many and varied games.... Outrun for one, and Ghosts N Goblins for another).

[Kale]

Watching my brother's play Super Mario Bros back in I think 1989/90.

Then I think Mortal Kombat followed afterwards in like 91 or 92.

[Sumac]

My first video game was some PC game about plane that must bomb enemy's factories.
Then I had Atari with several games and later - NES.

[cmdood]

wow, my first video game experience? Well the earliest memory i have is watching my cousins and siblings play mario paint. Other than that i grew up with a super nintendo.

[ShinAkumaXX]

I recall my first video game experiences were Super Mario Bros and Double Dragon II on NES. Followed by the other NES Mario games. I was born in 86 so I was around 6 when I first started I think. The first game I remember hating as a kid was Festers Quest. I've never tried it since I was a kid, I remember we got rid of it because we just couldn't figure that one out! I feel sad for all the kids today that will probably never care about these games. Hopefully things like the Wii Shop have gotten younger gamers into some older stuff!

[Vampire Killer]

Setting the way-back machine all the way to the Atari 2600, I think probably my first videogaming experience was Adventure.

An epic quest to return a sacred chalice to it's rightful castle, it had a sword that looked like an arrow, dragons or many colors, mazes, a magic bridge, and a a really annoy bat that could grab you and fly you indefinitely all over the kingdom. Was obnoxiously simple graphically speaking, but in the mind of my childhood self, I was on an adventure.

You can play it for free online here....

http://www.atari.com/arcade/arcade/adventure

You are the block. Use arrow keys to move. Touch items to grab them, press space bar to release them. Key open castles of the same color (touch the key to gate). Enjoy.

[Slayer]

Holy crap, I didn't realize how young I was compared to everyone here 
Anyway, I played either Super Mario Bros or Duck Hunt when I was 3 (1991-1992). I don't really remember much about it though, I've kind of been playing games as long as I can remember :c

[darkmanx_429]

The coin arcade machines, Double Dragon, 1942, Super Mario Bros (before the NES) and of course I was a pinball freak! As far a my experiences before the NES, I had an Atari 2600. Space Invaders and Ms Pacman were my favs. As for the NES when I got one, Super Mario Bros, Zelda, Mike Tyson's Punchout, 3D Worldrunner, and of course, Castlevania I was hooked!

[JooohnShaft]

my first experience was grand theft auto 3... yeah I KNOW IT'S PRETTY LATE BY RETRO STANDARDS but I loved the game back then.