There comes a time in every boys life when he has a Great Videogame Moment. Moments that transcend the simple concept of playing a game and turn the experience into a memory-creating emotional event. If you're not a game player, it's probably comparable to something like the best day of fishing, or skiing, or some other time when everything is just working and the emotional impact of the experience is greater than the sum of the parts.

To name a few off the top of my head:

* Beating Golden Axe at the Del Mar Fairgrounds with my boy Iwan. This must have been 12 or 15 years ago, and I still remember it.

* Staying up all night after a CSF Disneyland trip and playing Megaman with Iwan, again, and another guy. (In fact, most early VGM's have Iwan sitting next to me (Cypherbowl, MUDS, Speedball II-Brutal Deluxe (best videogame title EVER), Mario Bros (not Super), etc)).

* Dec 10-11th, 1993 (Doom released)

* A couple Counterstrike sessions where I was the last CT alive on my team, and killed the last terrorists, picked up a defuse kit from a fallen comrade, and defused the bomb just in the nick of time.

* Once in WWII Online, I was flying a 109 and snuck up on two Spitfires. They had no idea I was there, and I got in a perfect position, my heart literally pounding, and unloaded on 'em, downing one immediately and the other eventually.

* Not quite the same, but when I typo'd and accidently french kissed the bride during an in-game wedding on a MUD. I blush just thinking about it.

I recently bought Battlefield Vietnam, and I'm really enjoying it. I played briefly this morning, and had a Moment. I'll spare you all the details, but it involved sneaking into an enemy base, stealing their helicopter and unleashing fiery hell from above.

I drove to work savouring the experience, and being unable to wait until I could email my friends about it.

THAT, to me, is what gaming is all about.