World Video Game Hall of Fame: First Six Inductees

The first 6 video game have been inducted into the World Video Game HALL OF FAME! Pong, Pac-Man, Super Mario Brothers, Tetris, Doom and World of Warcraft made it into the Hall on the first round. Get the full story here. 

I am the youngest of 4 kids. Jerry, Jamie, Jeni and Joey. I can't remember the year we got the Atari for Christmas. It was like 1979 or 1980. No way we could have had it the first year. Being the youngest, I was last to get a chance to play. I remember when we went back to school after Christmas break. The first day, I tried to stay home so I could finally get a chance to play without getting my ass kicked by my brothers and sisters. Well, mom had to work so guess who got to spend the day with Grandma Ruth? She was a pretty strict lady and getting her to take me home so I could play proved fruitless.

They would always beat me and it pissed me off like nothing else. My hand eye coordination and motor skills were 6,4 and 3 years behind them. When we played at our cousins house, they always had way more games than us and I got some hand-me down games as a result of this. Pitfall was GREAT! Donkey Kong was my favorite but Pong was the first video game I ever played. Pac-Man was the second.

By the time my brothers and sisters left, I got a Nintendo for my birthday. I really liked Super Mario Brothers and Double Dribble but Tetris is the video game I wasted my Sophomore, Junior and most of my Senior year playing. This game was a virtual puzzle and I loved to play by myself. Now, the other chunk of my Senior year was spent playing Super Tecmo Bowl. With my cousin Rob, with my friends. We had Saturday groups playing at my friend Brandon's house. We were a pretty awesome team.

Then when the Wii came out, my niece had a birthday party and all the kids took turns whipping my ass at Mario Kart. Later that year, for my birthday they got me the game. I was determined for redemption. My buddy Dave and I began to play Japanese kids online and became unbeatable. One of my proudest moments is playing my niece a few weeks later and having her storm out of the room in anger at my REDEMPTION!

I began playing the Legend of Zelda on the Wii and got lost in this monster of a game. It was the first game I ever quit. Last year, I got an X-Box 360 for 30 bucks and played the hell out of Grand Theft Auto V. Man, that is an awesome game with nudity. Nudity. This is part of the Grand Theft legacy and a reason the series should be joined by Super Techmo Bowl and Mario Kart in the next round of inductions.

One time, I went to visit my buddy. He looked all disheveled and rattled. I said "you ok dude?" He said, "I was up all night playing World Of Warcraft." For the next six months he played the hell out of that game. I saw this and said "maybe I don't need this." Plus, the "World of Warcraft" South Park episode is legendary and one of my favorites.

So, you may see a waste of time but video games have brought me closer with friends, family and made me more worldly by playing those Japanese punks. It's not all bad.

But if I had a nickle for every chick I pissed off waiting for me to finish a video game... I would have about 75 cents, just from my wife :)

Get up with Deb and Joey weekdays 6-10am. Find Joey on Facebook here.