Scents, Smells, video games

Hi, an odd topic I wanted to start. I am not sure the best way to word this as its pretty odd I find. I wanted to see if many people here have what I experience a lot.

As a kid I was pretty much addicted to video games, for some unknown reason to me I get a lot of 'flash backs' or strong vivid senses of different games that I used to play based on scents and smells around me. These senses and flash back type things include the location/situation I was in at that time and what was going on around me, reminding me of that occasion. Visions of points in the game would also crop up that where most memorable to me. There are certain perfumes that do this, there is a particular one that my mum used to wear that triggers it off and when other people pass me in the street or at work wearing that scent, it overcomes me. Certain smells that remind me of when I used to go out to the local video game shop to buy games, or memories of old car trips visiting my friends house to play NES games. I find it very odd, recently its been happening a lot more frequently. I was sitting in work not to long ago and a serious memory cropped up of Gradius III when a scent passed my desk. Do many of you get this? I find it very odd. I started this thread as its just happened to me again, however with a memory of Super Adventure Island on the SFC. As I have mentioned, I get this a lot and whenever it happens it only seems to be related to game play memories, although I do get this with non game related things, it never seems as strong.

Apologies for my poor grammar heh It would be interesting to see if many others get this.

Dan.

 

I bought this electric aromatizer that had a really strong lavender liquid, and the day after, Final Fantasy XIII arrived in the mail. This happened at a very sad time at home (my father had just been diagnosed as terminal).
I think of FF13, and the things I tried to avoid while playing it, every time there's artificial lavender smell somewhere.

 

I often get this with music, since I often had/have some running in the background while gaming.

 

This is very interesting, I have not had this happen to me with sound before.

 

I have the same thing happen all the time. Remembering specific screens, events, moments within a game.

1. I rented AeroGauge when I was young, and ate ice cream sandwiches consecutively while playing it. Now anything related to the food reminds me of sitting in my basement on the tile floor playing that game, as well as my ankles aching from sitting cross-legged on such a hard surface.

2. My brother and I got Turok: Rage Wars when it came out, and he also got the P.O.D. album the same week. We used to play that game for hours, with that CD as the only soundtrack. The two are permanently linked.

3. Playing Super Mario Brothers (NES) makes me think of vomit. I was very sick when we got that title. My cousin was babysitting my brother and I, and I tossed my cookies all over the couch.
It's bad enough that certain levels are uncomfortable to play (especially World 6 Level 3/4).


On a related note, a friend of mine supposedly has legitimate audio/music synesthesia. He writes some of the best music sometimes, and I value his opinion about my bands more than anyone I know. The fact that one can have visual "feelings" of sound (colors, patterns) is an incredible thought.

 

I think this isn't that uncommon. Certain cues will cause you to remember certain events. If you spent alot of time playing video games then it's not strange that something would cue you to recall something about them.

 

But at the same time, I think these memories are more concrete when you're young. We've all probably played an uncountable number of hours of games in our lives, but for some reason certain events get locked instead of others.

Why don't I remember anything about Lost Planet or Resistance 1/2 or Battlefield BC or any of the other games I RECENTLY played-through? It's almost disappointing that something we find so special becomes routine and average.

 

The first time I ever had Mozzarella cheese sticks was when I was on my first playthrough through Half-life so I always will remember that. But as for smells reminding me of gaming, hmmm, not so much, instead they just remind me of different times. Its also more like colors. Its weird, if I think back to certain times, each different section of my life in my memories is basked in certain colors and a certain feeling. And I remember being with this girl too and whenever I smell Lotion I think of her.

 

AAah! Remembering my father gave me a new one.

When I smell certain types of gasoline or gasoline-related cleaners, I immediately think of Rescue Rangers for the NES. Some Famiclone carts back in the day smelled like that, and when I was a Kid, my father would take me to the Tianguis (think of it as a black market-flea market -once a week mexican kind of thing) to get new famiclone carts.

I don't know exactly why Rescue Rangers smelled more like gasoline than other famiclones, but I did have a lot of fun with that game.

 

Yes this definitely happens, I've also got fond memories of playing Goonies II as a kid on the NES, I can recall exactly what I was eating at the time and every time I either play the game or eat the food, I am reminded of the two.

Also, we used to store all our NES games in a big drawer with family photo albums beside them, every time we'd open the draw, the smell of fresh photos would come out, so now every time there are a lot of photos together, the scent reminds me of those good old days.

 

Very interesting topic redstar_dan! I never actually thought about it, I guess it does not happen often to me, it does happen with music for example, but the only time that happens with smell I can think of right now is when I get any new-old-stock stuff and the smell of the package/contents. For example, the other day I got a NIB Dreamcast VMU and mouse and when I opened them the smell just brought me back to the past and flashes of playing with my friends at my house long ago, it is a strange yet awesome feeling.

 

I also wonder why this does not happen with more recent events, as I have not had it happen with anything new, well at least with games within the past 2 years that I can recall. Like alecjahn mentions, there must be some sort of reaction that happens when the mind is young that leaves one more prone to locking in events. I find it so bizarre and its interesting to see that this happens with a lot of other people. I am 26 now, however I may find when I am 40 odd, that I will indeed have this happen to me, with games and events of this era.

 

This does happen to me, not only with stuff that happened when I was younger, but even stuff from this past summer (locked up in my room writing verilog and drinking coffee)

 

Pizza, Mt. Dew, and Halo might as well be one entity. There is not one without the other.

 

Sorry i didn't read all the length of each post in this thread, but regardless this is due to the fact that the sense of smell is the one most tied to memory, more than sight etc.

 

Sorry, but I disagree. Mine would have to be taste. I think all your senses could be linked to something to a degree, why not?

 

Every time, I eat some good fries, and get a burger (a jumbo burger) then I think of, the first time I saw world heroes at a Chinese burger joint, and the arcarde cab had multiple SNK games on it, damn those were the days I also get the same feeling at other times, whether it is music or smell or sounds. Both good and bad memories has such things connected when it comes to me .

 

I'm really good friends with my ex, but just smelling her when I see her brings back some serious memories.

... one of them being Dynasty Warriors Gundam, and how we got all the 1000 achievement points together over the course of several months.

To this day, I can't touch the sequel without feeling a bit melancholic.

 

When I hear Men At Work - Down Under I used to get a weird good and bad melancholic feeling because of Lynette who was from there, and also the song by Star Salzman that is named Magellanic ft. Jon Martindill , yes I know it is about penguins, but I fell for that song while I was in love with Lynette, and after she passed away, I always became extremely sad, even though I love that song today. Also If I Could Turn Back Time with Cher, I got in a strange mood . I like all the songs today too, but back then it give me a pinch of sadness. Lynette thanks for being whom you were.

 

When I hear old NSync songs, it brings me RIGHT BACK to winter of 5th grade (1998) and Pokemon