Who knew that my mom was cool? I always have; in this world where female gamers used to be so far and few between, my mom was an original. Last year when asked my first memory of video games, I shared my experience with Frogger as a child. I loved playing Frogger with my mom and at the age of three I often confused the word Frogger with a rather colorful word that also begins with the letter 'f'. But our time together playing video games did not end there.

During the summer in between fond memories of swimming and reading, we often had family video game nights. Ms. Pac Man, Milon's Secret Castle, Donkey Kong, and Burger Time were in constant rotation as we took turns finishing each level. And over twenty years later we will still hook up our NES. My brother, my mom, and myself will still spend hours playing and laughing. She also owns every version of PacMan ever made. Another of my mothers favorite games of all time was Sonic The Hedgehog, but she has not played the original version in some time. I am lucky enough to work for a company that sells classic gaming systems. So while not conventional, I know my mom will absolutely love the Sega Genesis and Sonic The Hedgehog that I will be gifting her on Sunday.

In my mind, I have the coolest Mom, because she would spend hours on end playing various games with her kids. She still does to this day. It has only been recent that we have seen so many female gamers enter the scene, but I consider my mother an original.