Aside from entertainment, what influenced me most was the whole aspect of competition and social bonding. Gaming was just another way for me to kill time and chat with friends, and I pretty much spent a lot of time geeking out with my friends on the computer, and most of them happen to be into gaming and other forms of geekery. I guess some of it rubbed off on me, and I've been gaming ever since. (Yes, I'm a girl and I can kick your ass in any DM.
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