I'm not just talking about 'fun, excitement, or frustration' -- even the earliest games did that -- I mean deeper feelings like sorrow, melancholy, fear, elation, tension, uneasiness... And I'm talking about feelings that were brought on by the content of the games themselves. NOT an emotional attachment to a game for reasons outside of the game itself, like if you and your grandmother used to play it and that made it special to you, for example.
Anyway, it seems like most gamers had their first genuine, cerebral and visceral emotional experiences in the 5th console generation, when 3D worlds and CD quality audio became the standard. The tension of stealth action in Metal Gear Solid, the visceral jump scares of Resident Evil, the suspense and terror of Silent Hill, the pain of loss in Final Fantasy VII.
Was it the same for most of you, or did you experience genuine emotion from earlier games? Or, perhaps you didn't until later generations?
For me, games like Alone In The Dark, and MYST, on the 3DO really sucked me in. I don't know if I'm the only one, but AitD was scary as HELL to me. It's hard to imagine when you go back to it now, but it was my first survival horror game and I'd never experienced anything like it before. The shit used to keep me awake at night.