[quote=@Inkarnate]
[indent][b]What games defined your childhood and why? What aspects of them interested you and how have they shaped your taste? And how do they hold up for you?[/b][/indent]
[/quote]

There are two games that I would say defined my childhood the most, world of warcraft and magic the gathering. I think both had a huge impact in my current love for fantasy and all the possibilities that such worlds can offer, as well as the bringing of mechanical aspects into those worlds. World of Warcraft shaped how I viewed MMORPGs (and still does, as I often find myself disappointed by the differences between wow and other MMOs, as a very casual player) and magic the gathering introduced me to TCGs, one of my most beloved game genres to date. In addition to this, both games served as amazing motivators to learn english and aided me in the endeavor, which really helped me be even a step above my classmates (in this one area). 

There were other games I played as a child that I remember- like zoo tycoon - and some even that I still love to play to this day -such as starcraft- but those two were definitely the ones that had the most impact on who I am today.

Even today, magic the gathering remains my favorite TCG and world of warcraft my favorite MMORPG. However, my ability to play either is vastly limited. I simply can't afford to pay wow's subscription and my lack of friends who also play TCG limits to playing MTG arena, which while I think it is very well done isn't friendly to my more casual sort of playing, effectively forcing me into a constant battle with meta regardless of the mode, and I just don't like to have to play games that way.