It took ten years to get here

It is well documented in this blog that whilst I have had an interest in gaming over the years, it is only since late 2005 that it really took off and entrenched itself like it has now.
What really triggered this interest was tumbling across a list by IGN on the 100 Greatest Games of all Time. Curious, I sat down and read through all of it. As i did so, i found myself recognizing games I was familiar with, games I knew of and games that were completely new to me. In any case, it became clear to me that I had been missing out on a lot. So I made it my goal to track down all of these games and give them a shot.

That was a full decade ago.

 So where are we now?

Well I am pleased to say that, out of the hundred games listed, I have managed to obtain all but five.
Not a bad effort if I say so myself. Many of these games have been obtained as physical copies whilst others as digital downloads (through the Virtual Console and later GoG).

So which are the five that eluded my grasp? Well:

• Star Wars Arcade (no idea how I'm going to obtain that game)
• Pokemon Red/Blue (Pokemon has a massive fanbase. It scared me off)
• Advance Wars (truly worth getting a GBA for?)
• Super Smash Bros Melee (Somehow owning Brawl made owning Melee redundant)
• and Panzer Dragoon Saga (and good luck finding a copy of that).

And after ten years invested in this project what can I say at this point in time?

This project of obtaining the (then) Hundred Greatest Games of All Time has really been my stepping stone into the wonderful world of gaming.
What originally started out as a goal of hundred games has ballooned into (according a Raptr) a collection of just under three hundred games (!).
I have played, and enjoyed, games I have originally missed out on.
I have found much to love within games I originally never thought possible.
I have got off my arse and got my true first console the PS2 - and later, the Wii and 360.
I have stepped into the world of gaming and have made many friends through doing so 
And I have started this blog and have been rambling on it ever since.

They say that it often pays to acknowledge one's roots and to never forget where you've come from. And I acknowledge that this list sent me down a path that was bewildering but at the same time lot's of fun. In fact, now that I think of it, the original list pretty much functioned, to me at least, as a way to acknowledge gaming's past and to salute the pioneers that brought us all here to then then present state of 2005. And that's what I've done with this collection process: I have collected games, many of which I've never played before, and I've seen how they've managed to shape and inspire those which have followed in their wake. I've found material that have been completely new to me and it's interesting to see where certain ideas have originated from.

So where do we go from here?

Through obtaining, and playing, these games I have gained a sense of history and, like any gamer, built up some treasured memories to call my own. Indeed, one could say that I have forged my own identity as a gamer and have seen many more new places emerge before me. But that wouldn't have happened it it not been for those magical 95 games.
Okay so yeah a fair number of those 95 games have gone unplayed but i reiterate: It's important to know where you've come from. Why, recently IGN has released a new list of the 100 Greatest Games of all Time. And I found this new list places a lot of emphasis on more recent titles - but it means little to me as it seems more a celebration of the previous generation than a salute to the pioneers that the 2005 list was. Maybe it's a generational thing?

But no matter: This post marks the endpoint of a ten year journey so where do we go from here?
I have no idea but I tell you: It's going to be a lot of fun :)