I remember playing pinball machines in the late 60s. As I grew up I would play arcade games whenever I went out with my siblings but once I discovered travel I didn't have much time for it although my siblings and I would occasionally play them after eating out well into the 80s. My brother was interested in computers and I remember playing the occasional game but that didn't last long because he married and took his computer with him. I can't remember when it was but I won a $1000 shopping spree at a big department store and, as part of that spree, I bought a Super Nintendo. I was already a fully fledged adult at that point as was my sister but she would come over after work and we would play together for hours. Timeline is vague but I also remember having a Gameboy at some point.
I was still spending most of my money traveling up until 1999 when I married (yeah, late starter) but some time in the early 90s I put aside enough money to buy my first PC. I can't remember what games I played but my favourite game in the 90s was Creatures. Breeding and raising those adorable little Norns has probably influenced my Sim play style. I am not into dressing up my sims since I don't have any interest in clothes/makeup but I do love big families and playing sims from cradle to grave. I also remember playing and enjoying SimCity and a couple of the later ones but, by then, I was married and raising a child and games didn't really figure much in my life. I was living in America when I married but would go home to Australia for a couple months each year. My husband tried The Sims while I was visiting home in the early 2000s but didn't like it and left the disc on my desk. I installed it on my return and played a little but found it hard to keep my sims happy so didn't get far into it. I saw an ad for TS2 and decided to give it a try since my son was no longer a baby and didn't take up so much of my time. I spent many hours playing TS2 with my son on my lap :) and I loved it! When TS3 came out I rushed out to buy it as soon as it became available. I don't even want to think about how many hours I have put into the game - probably more than is healthy ;) and haven't lost interest yet. I have often thought of it as a digital dollhouse but only in the way I play it. For others it is a creative outlet, be it building or story writing.
My son played it for a short time when he was younger but has since moved on to what he considers to be "real" games. I know there are many male players but I can see how it could be more attractive to females. Perhaps female gaming has become more common as time was freed up by changing cooking styles - I don't remember any "meal on the table in 10 minutes" when I was young - and improvements to household appliances. Now I can play while my clothes practically wash and dry themselves instead of having to put the washing through the hand turned wringer and then the time spent hanging it outside, bringing it in and ironing it.
