Halo is the Franchise That Made Me Fall in Love with Games
It's hard to remember, but I was around five or six when I first played Halo. Although I don't recommend that kids should play games about brutally killing aliens at that age, it was a blissful childhood for me. Halo: Combat Evolved was the first game I'd ever played, and I recall vividly picking up the controller and hopping into the console's neon green menu with my brother, who was nearly twice as old as me. He didn't care too much about playing the game, but I'd like to think he enjoyed spending time with his little brother. I hope he did; I was rather annoying as a child too. From Halo: Combat Evolved, I eventually played Halo 2 and Halo 3 as I grew up.
Halo was something I worshipped, something I'd relish every afternoon after arriving home from school. But that's to say that any game is a godly thing in the eyes of a child. Despite Halo being a reasonably gory game with alien guts spilled everywhere as I played, I was never afraid or disgusted by the game. I actually found it to be quite beautiful and felt transported to a distant world every time I played.
On the note of being on an alien planet, the game was quite thrilling. For those who've never played the game, Halo is a sci-fi shooter game franchise about a cybernetically enhanced soldier called The Master Chief, tasked by a unified human government sector focused on military and exploratory endeavors called the United Nations Space Command (UNSC). Also called a Spartan, Master Chief is tasked to help the UNSC's forces rid the galaxy of the Covenant Empire—a theocratic hegemony comprising multiple alien species. It's a little hard to explain all of Halo because the storyline is pretty complex, but the gist is that everyone's looking for a higher meaning in life.
Although I can't say I was too focused on this existential mission as a child, I did enjoy the combative gameplay where there'd always be a threat around the corner to obliterate. I mean, the fact I could drive tanks and shoot rocket launchers was more than enough action to satiate my hunger for bloodshed. However, I don't think these mechanics would've shined as bright as they did without Halo's soundtracks, scenery, and storyline immersing me into its gameplay.
Immersion was one of Halo's greatest accomplishments. There was something magical about playing the game and being transported to various beautiful, scenic places while exploring Halo's universe and completing missions. It's weird too. Looking back, no matter how many times I replayed the levels as a kid, I never found them boring. There was always something new to experience, maybe not entirely new, but every run was different. Sometimes I would try playing the hardest difficulty, and other times I would speedrun the game. The bottom line was that the game was never dull. I'd say this feat attributed a lot to my adoration of the game.
I was so immersed in playing Halo that my mother regularly told me to get off the console or I'd "rot my eyes." I never believed her, but I think playing for six hours, sitting two feet from the TV screen, wasn't healthy for a kid to do every other day, so maybe she was right.
It's challenging to compare Halo with other games I've played in my life. Not because there aren't any others that are just as good, or even better, but because the game holds sentimental value. It's nostalgic in the way that it makes me tear up thinking about the days when I'd play the game until nightfall and share moments with my brother, who's now living a bigger life. It's genuinely hard to describe how the game makes me feel and how much of these mysterious feelings take over me when reminiscing the good old days.
What I do know is that it's not just the game that made it so memorable, but the moments within these memories that carry significant value. I revisited Halo on PC last year and played every game I relished when I was younger, and I was shocked to find it wasn't as good as I remembered. I'm unsure if it's because the Halo games I played were outdated and old, that I'd already played the game, or maybe my standards were too high. Despite these contemplative thoughts, Halo wasn't what it used to be.
Some say the world looks more vibrant and full when you're young. I'm much older now, and it's hard to tell the difference after so many years. But after replaying Halo: Combat Evolved, Halo 2, and Halo 3 last year, it shows the magic that initially captivated me is no longer there; instead, remnants of joyful times remain. And I feel conflicted. I feel deeply saddened to know those moments and feelings will never come back. At the same time, I only feel appreciation for Halo, as it's what started my love for gaming.
In saying so, there's also beauty in this realization. I owe a lot of my achievements across my life to Halo. I wouldn't be here without it. I know I won't be able to relive many of the memories I have of the game. I probably won't ever feel the same about playing it, either. But I'd never take back or change anything about the game. Halo was something magical that made me fall deeply in love with games and playing them. I know I'll continue to enjoy playing the franchise until it dies if that ever happens, but regardless of if I do or don't, I'm grateful to have played Halo growing up. I love Halo, and I always will.
💬 Have you played Halo? What's one of the first games you ever played?
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