Welcome to Party Chat, the question and answer post where the Girls on Games team address the pressing (and not so pressing) how, when, why and what-if’s of gaming culture.
This week’s question is: What was the first game that made you pull an all-nighter?
Alicia Alexandra:
“When I was 13 or 14 I was absolutely obsessed with a Flash-based browser game called AdventureQuest. It completely took over my life. I played it before school, during recess/lunch in the computer lab and after school each day. Weekends were a time of uninterrupted clicking bliss; collecting pets, taking part in events and chatting excitedly with friends about loot and quests.
It was a sleepover at my house that turned into my first all-night gaming session. An AdventureQuest marathon, if you will. Two friends and I spent the night taking turns on my family’s desktop computer, working our characters through events and quest lines. Our sleeping bags lay forgotten as we huddled around the screen, encouraging one another and loosing our minds when good loot or a cool companion dropped. My poor parents.”
Catherine Ashley:
“This is hard. I can’t remember the first game I pulled an all-nighter with. As a kid, I was under the yoke of my parents which was 9 pm bedtime, but I guess my most memorable time I pulled an all-nighter when during finals a few years back. I was supposed to write a paper that was due in a couple of days, and sat down to play some Fallout 3 beforehand to “mentally prepare” myself which, spoiler alert, totally backfired.
I kept telling myself one more mission… just go there and explore a bit deeper – next thing I knew, it was around 8-9AM and I got shit all done. I had to go to bed instead, woke up in the afternoon and pulled another all-nighter, this time to finish my paper.
I regret nothing.”
Simon:
“The one and only game that made pull an all-nighter was Fahrenheit: Indigo Prophecy. I was so enthralled by the story that I just couldn’t put it down. I lost track of time so much that when I looked outside my window after having finished the game, it was bright and early in the morning. Let’s just say that I wasn’t super productive at school the day after.
If you can look over the sometimes annoying use of QTE’s, the game is still worth playing through entirely. Oh, and don’t mind the graphics, it’s the like The Sims meets Final Fantasy 7. The story and characters are totally worth it however. The remastered version is available on Steam as we speak, for the ridiculous price of $10.99.”
Nicholas:
“So much gaming history, to return to a point in time where I first realized I could stay up all night and play games seems so far and yet… SUPER MARIO WORLD. I was cursed with not having an SNES, but my cousins were blessed with one… trying to stay up as late as possible on weekends trying to finish the game and get the bonus star missions was sleep not missed. It was so much more than just a game, I moved around a lot as a kid so I got to spend time with my cousin(s), I got to eat junk food, got to stay up late, and I got to build a foundation for the love I have for gaming that exists today.
P.S. I know the question is “first game” but very honorable mentions to: Turtles in Time, Mario Kart, NBA Jam, Pokemon Red, and the killer of childhood weekend slumber itself: GOLDENEYE 64!”
So, what was your first game-fueled all-nighter? Let us know in the comment section below or on Facebook and Twitter.