Game was born Jayceon Terrell Taylor on November 29, 1979 in Los Angeles, California. He grew up in Compton in a primarily Crip gang neighborhood known as Santana Blocc, although he grew up to become a member of the Bloods. He was born into a life of gang-banging and hustling. In an October 2006 interview with MTV News correspondent Sway Calloway, Game described his family as "dysfunctional" and claimed that his father molested one of his sisters. When later interviewed, Game stated that at a young age, he recalled seeing both of his parents preparing to do drive-bys. His father was a Nutty Block Crip and his mother a Hoover Crippelette. Drugs and guns were all around Taylor while he was growing up. His father was a heroin addict and both his parents frequently took cocaine. Both his parents owned Glock 17s. At around the age of 6, Taylor stated that a friend of his was murdered for his clothes and shoes in the neighborhood by a teenager.
At the age of 7, Taylor went into foster care. While in foster care, he was teased by other children. He did not go unnoticed, however. Game's intelligence was acknowledged by his caretakers and he usually helped his foster brothers and sisters with their homework. Taylor had a defining moment in his life when he met his idol, Eric Wright (also known as Eazy-E), founder of the rap group N.W.A, around 1989.
At the age of 7, Taylor went into foster care. While in foster care, he was teased by other children. He did not go unnoticed, however. Game's intelligence was acknowledged by his caretakers and he usually helped his foster brothers and sisters with their homework. Taylor had a defining moment in his life when he met his idol, Eric Wright (also known as Eazy-E), founder of the rap group N.W.A, around 1989.