Why I Game

 

Why do you game?  How has gaming positively impacted your life?  

“Why I Game” is part of our Gamer Girl exhibit, which explores the history and contemporary culture of girls and women who make and play games.  The gallery below features individual stories from gamers around the world whose lives have been inspired and empowered through gaming.

Share your story!  Send us an e-mail with: (1) your name, (2) your country, (3) your answer to the question “Why do you game?”, and (4) a picture (of yourself, an avatar, or favorite game character).  Contributions are accepted and posted on a rolling basis.

Why I Game: Jupiter Hadley

Why I Game: Jupiter Hadley

I game because I used to dabble in game development. When I was younger, I used to play online multiplayers like Minecraft to meet friends and escape the everyday drama. There, I met an indie game developer, who created games he wanted to play. I knew games were made...

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Why I Game: Michelle

Why I Game: Michelle

I don't think I ever really identified myself as a gamer. In that regard I must admit to having fallen for the stereotype of society. The unkind kind of stereotype of a guy living in his parents basement, glued to his computer screen. Not me, a girl with long blonde...

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Why I Game: Kat

Why I Game: Kat

I game because it is fun! I like to be the hero and save the day in games. It is a great feeling I get when challenging my hand/eye coordination and succeeding at a game. Gaming has been a wonderful part of my life. It is stress reducing and relaxing. Gaming gives me...

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Why I Game: Victoria

Why I Game: Victoria

I game because it takes me into another world where I can forget about the stresses of real life for a while. Gaming is a way I spend quality time with my husband. Whether it be him cheering me on through GTA V or Bioshock Infinite, or us playing completely different...

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Why I Game: Danielle

Why I Game: Danielle

When I was young, my brother was into games so by default I spent time playing Super Mario with him (it's still my fav). Now I play because I enjoy the challenge, the variety and the community that comes from games. Most recently I spent time playing Fallout Vault,...

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Why I Game: Sarahjane Cottrell

Why I Game: Sarahjane Cottrell

I am 42, and I have been playing RPGs and video games for most of my life. When I was young, gaming was a way for me to express my imagination, develop my storytelling skills, and build friendships. As I got older, in addition, gaming helped me to alleviate the stress...

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Why I Game: Suha

Why I Game: Suha

My first experience with video games was watching my oldest sister play Mega Man on NES. I remember being completely blown away by the backgrounds, level design and the emotional story. Back in the day, I wasn't huge on video games. I used to pick up a Sega controller...

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Why I Game: Thannia

Why I Game: Thannia

I game because it takes me to different worlds and makes me live amazing stories. -Thannia Blanchet Mexico

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Why I Game: Danielle

Why I Game: Danielle

I've been gaming for 25 years. I game to get away, to relax after work and make new friends. Some of my best friends are people I met while paying video games. One of those became my roommate so I could move to a larger city and get a better job. If I wasn't a gamer,...

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Why I Game: Katherine Ullman

Why I Game: Katherine Ullman

The answer to why I game is a somewhat complicated one. I started gaming back in the early 90s, mostly on MUDs, back in the wee dawn of the internet. This allowed me a kind of wall between reality and myself that allowed me to connect to other people on my own terms,...

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Why I Game: Tristan Derringher

Why I Game: Tristan Derringher

  I game for the same reason many people (including myself) love getting into a good book: the immersion into a new world, an interesting character, an inspiring backstory, a crazy twist; It's not only a chance to imagine the surreal but to become an active part...

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Why I Game: Lexi Attiani

Why I Game: Lexi Attiani

I game because it relaxes me but also inspires me. I was a costume design student before I had to leave school for health and finance reasons and for me, gaming and by extension cosplay help me to continue to practice doing what I love and keep sharp. Gaming also is a...

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Why I Game: Kenia

Why I Game: Kenia

I game for so many reasons, sometimes it's to relax and not think about real life for a bit, but there are days when I love slipping on my headset and killing skags in the borderlands with my friends - complaining about tough bosses and laughing at the ridiculous...

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Why I Game: Kylie

Why I Game: Kylie

It all began when I was a child. I was given an original Game Boy by my gamer uncle at the age of 2 and I was hooked instantly (although I don't recall knowing how to win the games, I just enjoyed fiddling with the buttons and causing the tiny box to make noise). My...

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Why I Game: Inquisitor Aura

Why I Game: Inquisitor Aura

I game because I am a writer, and video games tell some of the most complex and surprising stories I have ever encountered. I game because I love the idea of living a thousand lives, not just one.  In games, I can be anyone- a bad ass Saiyan warrior, a superhuman...

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Why I Game: Stephanie Edwards

Why I Game: Stephanie Edwards

I play a lot of puzzle-based games, because I get bored easily, and puzzles really help occupy my brain. But I also game because games are filled with amazing stories and worlds, and I can't imagine not wanting to take part in those. -Stephanie Edwards United States

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Why I Game: Erika

Why I Game: Erika

I game because it's fun! I am a visual and hands on person so gaming is perfect for me. Also, I love being able to escape real life and explore fantastical worlds and feel like an important person who can do anything. -Erika United States

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Why I Game: Fen

Why I Game: Fen

Well, when I was young, my mother thought that if she allowed my brother and I to play video games then our brains would rot (or whatever junk the media fed parents back in the 90s). However, my nan thought video games were great, and bought a SNES for all her...

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Why I Game: Jamie Stewart

Why I Game: Jamie Stewart

I game because I think it's the entertainment medium with the most potential for diverse storytelling. Video games have allowed me to achieve a sense of escapism moreso than any film or television show. In doing that, they have helped me become more creative and...

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Why I Game: Rebecca Schmieman

Why I Game: Rebecca Schmieman

I game because it allows me to live more lives than my own. To be able to see what life would be like as Commander Shepard or a farm girl moving to mineral town - the countless stories being told through video games that I can witness and shape allows me to learn from...

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Why I Game: Tiffany Rhoades

Why I Game: Tiffany Rhoades

One Christmas, I woke up to find a brand new Playstation 2 under the Christmas tree - with my name on it. It came with one of my favorite games of all-time: Burnout 2. That day, we hooked it up to the TV and my family spent hours laughing as we competed to be the one...

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Why I Game: Whitney (BlackEssence)

Why I Game: Whitney (BlackEssence)

It all started back in 1989 when I was just a two year old little girl. My older brother and I got the newly released GameBoy system by Nintendo that came with the game "Balloon Kid." That started a life long journey of gaming and using gaming as a way to influence,...

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Why I Game: Jojo of Player Two

Why I Game: Jojo of Player Two

My first memory is of sitting in my parent's basement at 3 years old, playing Super Mario Brothers and other titles on the Super NES. I grew up in a normal, middle-class suburban neighborhood as one of three children. My older brother, who is 4 years older than me,...

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