I had an Atari 2600, an NES, and an SNES but I don't think I was a "gamer". Games were mostly really shallow back then and, even though I enjoyed playing, it was just another diversion. I definitely spent more time reading or playing basketball than gaming.
The game that came along and flipped my switch was Final Fantasy VI.
It happened pretty much after I'd mostly gotten tired of my SNES. I just happened to see it at a used game store while with a friend. I remembered that I'd liked Final Fantasy (1) a lot, so I bought it on a whim. That was the spark that started my engine and directly lead to me buying a PS1 for FF VII. It lead to me buying games like FFT, Suikoden, and Breath of Fire III. It was truly the drug that got me hooked.
