I started out with mostly building games. The first game that really caught my interest was Sim Park and later Sim City 3000. At that time I had to ask my mom to use the computer to play, so I simply couldn't play enough to be obsessed. I kept playing this kind of games, as well as different versions of Championship Manager, for a couple of years.
Then, in 2001 I think, by best friend's family got a computer with Midtown Madness on. I went with him home from school nearly every day to play it and I eventually got to borrow the CD so I could get the game myself. That's when it took off. I could drive around in the streets of Chicago for hours without getting tired of it. I think it was about the same time I saw Starcraft for the first time, but I only got my hands on a cracked version and didn't really play it much, except on the first couple of LANs we had.
Then in 2003 I bought Starcraft Brood War so I could play it online. Lucky me had dial up, so the gametime was limited. It took me nearly two years to convince my mom to get us a decent internet connection, and then, four months later, WoW was released and ruined my entire Starcraft career.
