I was born in 2001, so much of my childhood, I was constantly introduced to new technological innovations. I’d say one of the more impactful innovations in my life was video games. My first console was a GameCube when I was about 4. I would say even for today’s standard that is very early for a child to have a game console. If I remember correctly it was a gift for Christmas from my uncle who was very interested in video games, even to the point now where he has a good-sized collection of multiple retro consoles and an assortment of games.

This gift set a bit of a precedent for my life though. From then on I always wanted to be on the bleeding edge of new video game innovation. I would not say to the point of innovators, but definitely as an early adopter. For some people interested in video games or consoles they wait for other people to get it into their hands and make their judgment of when to get it based on reviews and people’s experiences. Not me, I always wanted everything on day 1. The vast majority of games I do buy are pre-ordered or purchased on release date. I was even one of the lucky few who was able to pre-order the Playstation 5.

Of course, this mentality can come at a bit of a price. It’s not uncommon that I pay full price for a game and it does not fulfill the excitement and anticipation that I have built hope for it. Then I am left almost regretting my purchase or at least wishing I would’ve waited for the game to go on sale. When it works though and you are one of the first people playing to play the game and you love it, there are few feelings more gratifying.

Obviously, video games have played a huge factor in my life. I cannot say I’ll always want to be at the forefront of all things new in video games or even video games at all for that matter. It is very common for people to “grow out of” video games as they get older and take on more adult responsibilities. Even in my first couple years of college, I have seen myself become more apathetic with this hobby than when I had the free time of a child still living in their parent’s house.

An innovation that I do believe has become pretty integrated into my life and will continue to be is just random internet of things (IoT) devices. I’m quite open to the idea of IoT devices whether that’s smartwatches, virtual assistant speakers, smart TVs. In the future, I’ve always liked the idea of having things like Ring doorbells, smart thermostats, and those robot vacuums. Of course, as a college student, I am limited to some of these things. For the IoT devices, I can afford though I would say usually I end up breaking down and purchasing these things, but not without the consensus of the majority saying that it is a useful product. So I would say for most IoT devices I fall into the late majority of consumers. I’d say the reason for that is it seems with these products there always seem to be some privacy concerns. Amazon Alexa devices are a pretty good example. Privacy is a concern of mine, but it all comes down to if the pros outweigh the cons.