Okay so I know what your thinking, I like video games? And the answer is yes, yes I do. In fact I love them. I love them so much that it's not uncommon for me to buy at least one new video game with every pay check I get. Wether it's PC, console, or handheld they are probably by far my favorite pastime. Now the bigger question is but why do I love video games? Well there's a couple reasons for that.

One of the reasons is because I grew up with 3 brothers. Wait! Hold the sexist and feminist ranting! I don't mean that I like them because I had 3 brothers and that's all they loved to do so I had to join them. No, what I mean by that is my favorite memories with my brothers are spending entire weekends playing video games playing them. After school every Friday we would run to our playstation and start playing whatever we had on hand. We would would have pizza and watch a movie with our parents at night but after that it was non stop playing until bedtime Sunday night. Recently I got the Crash Bandicoot Trilogy on PS4. I can not even describe the nostalgia this game series brought back to to me. As soon as my brothers saw it they were screaming for joy remembering all the fun times we had playing the original series on PS2.

Speaking of PS2 (Playstation 2) another reason I love playing video games is because I grew up with every console. Now my family has almost always strictly been playstation. My older brother had a PS1, we later updated to a PS2, got a PS3 for Christmas a few years ago, and then right before college I bought a PS4. So I have played on every available Playstation console. To me this reason is similar when people have found memories of Sesame Street, bicycles, and The Magic Tree House series. Because people grew up with all these things and cherished them as kids and still have found memories of them. People go "Oh I remember doing that," and their faces instantly light up. Video Games can have that much of a impact.

Now let's talk education. If people say "Well video games just rot your brain, you don't learn anything!" I would say "Wrong sir!" The reason why I know so many history facts is because of the Assassin's Creed series. This is a gamer series where each game takes place during a very historical and important time period such as the Renaissance, American Revolution, Ancient Egypt, French Revolution,the Industrialist age and the Golden age of pirates. And while yes the plot of the games are fictional in the games you meet real life people such as Benjamin Franklin and Cleopatra. You have access to a database archive that tells you real life facts about everyplace you go, the events, and the people you meet. So yes the reason I know all the ins outs of the French monocracy is not just Les Miserables but also Assassins Creed. Not only do video games teach you history but Matthew Patrick owner and creator of the Youtube channel Game Theory with over 10 million subscribes uses science, math, and even psychology to explain, explore, and analyze video games due for his love for them. So the next time someone yells at you for playing too many video games you can explain the true criminal secret of Cupheads (popular 2017 1930's animated video game release)!

Another reason I love video games is because I am currently study Animation at my university, particularly digital and 3D animation. So when playing video games I know how the artist animated Ezio's crazy parkour skills or how someone textured the rock wall Laura Croft is about to fall off of. Because of this my appreciation of video games has grown so much because I know how much effort, time, and skill it takes to make a video game, especially a great one. That's why I hope to someday help create a video game, so I can pour my love for them into a truly amazing creation that others will one day play!

Now to conclude this love letter I want to clear the air. I'm not saying that all guys have a problem with girls playing games, in fact a good chunk don't care as long as you play the game and have fun. But a noticeable percentage do and I just want to say this. While I am a very mastered player because I have played for so long it shouldn't matter whether I can make sniper head shots in Fortnite Battle Royal, get 100% completion in Assassin's Creed, or wipe the floor with you while playing Injustice (I can do all 3 and more). Because as long as I'm enjoying myself and being a good sport no one guy or girl should care about my stats or the number of achievements I've unlocked. From gender to mastery of skills it shouldn't matter as long as your enjoying yourself.

So video games thank you for all you've done for me. From letting me get vent after a jam packed day at school to fond memories with my family I applaud you for always being there for me. It's been a very long journey and I hope to continue our story one game at a time.

Sincerely, A Girl Gamer

Author's Note- I hope you all enjoyed this article and please let me know your story with video games and which one's are your favorites! God Bless!!!