1. I think I started playing FF around 95 I think? I know Chrono Trigger had just come out when my friend finally got me to play the series. After going through FFIV and VI, I was pretty devoted to the franchise.

2. I feel I've mellowed out for the most part concerning fandom nonsense. I'm less likely to waste my time defending opinion like I use to. I think the only game that still gets a knee jerk reaction from me is FFXIII and even then I don't feel like the game has enough merits worth discussing in the first place. I've certainly become more apathetic to the franchise and Square-Enix as a whole which is probably why I've mellowed out. I also look at the franchise in a more designer focused way than before. I'm more interested in the games based on their components and how they work together than the actual overall package, but that's kind of my interest in gaming as a whole nowadays.