Mother’s Day was just a few weeks ago and as I do every year at this time I reflect on the great times I’ve had with my mom.

At 70 years of age, Mom has been a gaming junkie since she was 41.  No doubt she became hooked because I had already started down my own path of gaming addiction, but what’s noteworthy is at the time, 1981, there were virtually no female gamers—especially female gamers her age.  That’s why I’ve deemed her the “Original Girl Gamer.”

Some of the best times shared with Mom were playing Missile Command and Pitfall! on our old Atari 2600.  As a family with very little money, my most treasured memories were when Mom and I would save up our quarters, take off to the neighborhood arcade, and play endless hours of Tempest, Tron, and Centipede.  We bonded as we fought enemies together, but what’s equally important is that Mom never tried to change who I was.  She didn’t tell me I should spend my time doing something more productive, nor did she try to get me to stop gaming to do something more “girly.” She accepted my gaming, embraced it, and nurtured it.

Let’s fast forward a bit to November 9, 2004:  I was 35 at the time, and as I waited in line at GameStop for my pre-ordered copy of Halo 2, a woman around my age asked if I was there to pick up the game for my kids, just as she was.  When I replied “Heck no, I’m buying it for me!” she was shocked, and when her young son learned that I completed the first Halo on Legendary, he was astonished and impressed. Because of my age and gender, I changed their view on what defined a gamer that day.  It was extremely satisfying, and I have my mom to thank for it.  If she hadn’t been enthusiastic about what I was so passionate about and hadn’t become an avid gamer herself, I wouldn’t be breaking down the stereotype that gamers are adolescent boys—just as she started to chip away at it nearly 30 years ago.

Mom, thank you for allowing me to be the gamer that I was then and for being supportive of the gamer that I am now.  If it weren’t for you I wouldn’t currently be living my dream as a Frag Dolls Cadette.  I love you, and I hope you’re enjoying UT3!