Gaming Intro
As a kid, I felt like my main purpose in life was to play video games. Some of my first memories are from playing Super Mario Bros. on NES and some fighting game I can’t even remember on the SNES.
I later graduated to playing Super Mario 64 and Super Smash Bros. on the N64. Unfortunately, this was only when I visited my cousin’s house. This led to my obsession with newer consoles and newer games as 3D games blew my mind.
Then came the various Gameboys and their many games as well as the GameCube. I played a variety of games like Super Smash Bros. Melee, Mario Sunshine, Sims, Kirby, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, Sonic, etc.. etc..
Next, I took a step out the Nintendo sphere into PlayStation. With the PlayStation 2 I played games Crash Bandicoot, Ratchet and Clank, Grand Theft Auto, etc. At this point, I had mostly just played single player games. I did play split screen multiplayer on Halo 1, which lead me eventually to Halo 2 and my first online multiplayer experience on the Xbox where I remain for the remaining of my childhood.
Online Multiplayer
When I first played online, my mind was just as blown as it was when I played Super Mario 64 in a 3D world. I was able to play in full lobbies with people from all over the world. I played Halo 2 what seemed like everyday all day until I got an Xbox 360 and switched to Halo 3. I eventually got into Gears of War, Call of Duty, and others. At this point, online multiplayer grew from just a way to have fun, but also a way for me to keep contact with friends as I moved around a lot.
I kept online gaming through college (first degree) with my last console, the Xbox One. At this point, online gaming was very mainstream and everyone plays.
Developing
Nowadays, I spend most of my time on my desktop, not playing video games, but leaning, watching other people play video games (streams), and coding my own video game! For my Capstone project, I am working a a Online Multiplayer 2D Space Shooter. It has been really eye opening to work on everything that I took for granted while playing online multiplayer games. I took for granted joining lobbies, connect to servers, cheat detection/prevention, etc. It has been a wild ride and I can’t wait to see the finished product!
