The day I defeated my father in a game of Total Annihilation. It was a epic battle that waged from the blissful twilight of the dusk sky into the errie fog that was the morning of October 8th, 1997... =p

@SmokedHostage

Who is the girl on your pic profile?

The day I beat battletoads without game genie...yes... beat that anyone

The day I became a hardcore gamer was the day I managed to finish ICO while simultaneously filming an amatuer porno. I suppose that only makes me an amatuer hardcore gamer though.

if you want to use the term hardcore gamer...I guess I'll entertain the phrase by my definition of what it is or should be, rather than all the other pompous nonsense its correllated to these days on forums such as these.

when I first "fell in love with video games and got hooked for life", I think it was the mid 80's with King's Quest on pc and Defender and Centipede on Coleco Vision.  I've been hooked on gaming ever since those initial experiences.

Anyone else a King's Quest junkie from way back?

- kw

Without a doubt it was when I finished Contra without the 30-lives cheat.

 battletoads was an awesome game...and incredibly difficult.  getting by the "surf board" lvl was hell.

grats on a crazy achievement

cheers   - kw

 Going by this definition I would say I became "hardcore" when I lost 2 years of mu life to Diablo II.

(sung to the tune of American Pie)
A Long Long time ago...
I can still remember
How that red-overalls used to make me smile.
but I knew if I had the chance.
I would dethrone my dad in a glance.
and maybe then... we'll be happy for awhile.

but October made me quiver
as I ordered that squad to hit'er
good news on the warfront
he couldn't take one more shot.

I can't remember when he died
I was A-F-K talking to... clyde.
but something hinted to me deep inside.
The day, his commander died.

So Bye-Bye Mr. Mario guy
Sometime later, maybe later we'll have another try.
Dem' good ol' boys were playin' Ocarina of time

...
...

Ah that's all I got for now.

When I did every possible thing I could in Breath of Fire III. I became a real badass, before ever getting to the final Boss. I destroyed the final Boss like nothing.

This was when I was in 7th/8th grade, about 9 - 10 years ago?