This may seem like a random question, but I was wondering if any parents out there could shed some insight on what it's like to play video games with your kids? Since we're the first generation of parents to be raised on video games, it seems like it could be a cool bonding experience with your son/daughter. (At least until he/she gets good enough to beat you!)
Not being a parent yet, I just can't picture me hanging out with my son trying frantically to beat a mini-boss before his bedtime.
I'm not a father (that I know of...oh, who am I kidding) but I have a blast playing the original NES Mario games with my cousin's kids (ages 8 and 6). They're young enough that I can pull all of the old tricks that everyone knows out of mothballs and they think I'm the greatest video gamer who ever lived. "Wow, you can go BEHIND the black end screen in Mario 3??? Awesome!"
Wait…if it’s MLK Jr. Day AND Pat Patterson’s Birthday…who gets the token win here?-- Matt "Excalibur05" Hocking on a match between Mark Henry and Rico
MH: What’s a clever way to say that I have a penis? CJ: Uh…Mark, nobody’s going to buy that shirt. MH: How about if I say that I’ve got…a…uh…? CJ: Coming up with T-Shirt ideas is hard Mark, why not leave it to the WWE marketing department. MH: I know! I’ve got it! CJ: Got what? MH: Stank! That’s Mah Stank! I’m gonna make a fortune!! CJ: “That’s Mah Stank”? MH: On the front it’ll say “Can You Smell It?” and on the back it’ll say “That’s Mah Stank”. Everybody’ll buy it because they’ll think it’s a Rock shirt. CJ: You know…you might be on to something there, sad to say. MH: I can’t wait to show mah stank to Trish.
You know, I have a feeling that Spanky didn’t quit, he was fired. Why? So they could repackage Mark Henry as “Stanky.” Think about THAT! --Matt "Excalibur05" Hocking, 1/19/04 Raw Satire
I've got three nieces (who are sisters) who are seven, six, and four. I was playing Grand Theft Auto 3 when they entered the room and the six-year-old said "why are you setting those guys on fire?" Sheepishly I replied "because they're bad guys" and quickly turned the game off. However, they always ask me if I'm going to play "the game where I light the guys on fire." Damn perceptive girls.
“To get ass, you’ve got to bring ass." -- Roy Jones Jr.
"Your input has been noted. I hope you don't take it personally if I disregard it." -- Guru Zim
I think it'd be awesome to play with my kids someday when I have them, but I get the feeling my experiences would be more like JayJayDean's with his neices as opposed to Big Bad's. I can't see myself cheering on my kids as they try to beat a mini-boss, but I could easily see us engaging in a rousing game of Mario Party or Double Dash, or maybe Madden when they get a bit older.
I do have two younger cousins who always bring their GBA's over when they visit, and I always threaten to bring out my original Gameboy to amaze them (read: look like a giant dork to them) but I never have it around. I should dig out my Dad's Mattel Handheld Football game from the 70's.
Time to go kick more light side ass, KotOR style!
"Yeah, angles in the ring... someone thought of that a long time ago. They called it pro wrestling." -- the MCS
I used to play Nintendo baseball with my dad, and before I haf a NES we would play his old Pong unit. It was fun, and either he never seemed to mind that I was better than him, or was always letting me win. We still play games occasionally, like co-op Halo, but he tends to prefer games on the pc rather than using analog controllers.
It's almost a given that I'll play games with my kids. Part of me hopes the wont be as addicted to them as I am, but the other part hopes they'll like them just as much. It would be nice to start them out on NES, SNES and Genesis games... I gotta teach em their roots!
My ex-financee has two kids, Brianna (5) and Braiden (6)...and one thing I learned is that they're too young for video games. Braiden would get really upset when I could pull off a simple trick on THPS2, and he couldn't...and Brianna couldn't do anything on a Dora game on my computer.
I got into video games at the age of 8 or 9, when I scored a Commodore 64, but my first system was a NES at age 11.
SD2: April, Year 3; what's the point to the Career mode, anyhow? FF7: Disc 1; 4h into game; en route to the next reactor FF8: Disc 2; 14h into game; Infiltrating the Missle Base.
When exactly did the gaming world decide it was a good idea for the #2 controller to be ACTIVE during a one-player game? I used to be able to make my little brother (waaaaay back in the day) believe he was playing against me, I tried the same thing with my little nephew and he pressed a button and it went to the "controller select" screen. WTF? NOW I have to fake the plug-in by sticking the cord underneath the PS2...which he's already half figured-out.
“To get ass, you’ve got to bring ass." -- Roy Jones Jr.
"Your input has been noted. I hope you don't take it personally if I disregard it." -- Guru Zim
Originally posted by JayJayDeanAND ANOTHER THING...
When exactly did the gaming world decide it was a good idea for the #2 controller to be ACTIVE during a one-player game? I used to be able to make my little brother (waaaaay back in the day) believe he was playing against me, I tried the same thing with my little nephew and he pressed a button and it went to the "controller select" screen. WTF? NOW I have to fake the plug-in by sticking the cord underneath the PS2...which he's already half figured-out.
Damn you! My brother used to do that to me with his NES back in the day and had me thinking I was quite the profficient gamer for a good old while. I was vaguely aware that the buttons didn't always react very well but other than that was pretty oblivious to his ruse.
As far as playing with kids goes, I was put off it for life when my (then) 10 year old cousin handed my ass to me in no uncertain terms at NHL 96 (I think it was 96 anyway).
I tried to gain revenge by taking the little brat on at Mortal Kombat (he was too young to have played the orignal I figured) and he still managed to give me a whipping inside the hour.
Sure, bondings great and all, but do you have any idea how smug kids thaht age can be?
Originally posted by dMrAs far as playing with kids goes, I was put off it for life when my (then) 10 year old cousin handed my ass to me in no uncertain terms at NHL 96 (I think it was 96 anyway).
I tried to gain revenge by taking the little brat on at Mortal Kombat (he was too young to have played the orignal I figured) and he still managed to give me a whipping inside the hour.
Sure, bondings great and all, but do you have any idea how smug kids thaht age can be?
I had a similar experience at a Best Buy once. I was watching a little kid play Super Smash Bros: Meelee. He asked if I wanted to play, and I said "sure" just to humor him. Naturally, he won, since I'd never played the game before. After saying "Aww, I lost" in a voice of mock sadness, the kid turned to me and replied "Duh!" in a sarcastic voice.
Born in 1979 at the ripe age of video games still starting out... I use to play ataris with my mom and dad. When I was about 4 or 5 I started playing arcade games at the liquor store my parents owned. Me and my mom use to play all the time. Our favorites were the original Donkey Kong and Super Mario Bros. on arcade games.
She and I would play games for a number of years until Nintendo 64 came out. She was really good but some people, after a certain age, have a hard time picking up 3D video games. They go faster now with more plots, characters, graphics and colors. I realize it's hard to keep up. She tried playing SuperMonkeyBalls recently but, it's not the same as Zelda, Mario, DonkeyKong and all the classics that have changed throughout the years...
She was very good at every one we had played. If I got stuck at a boss she'd always help me along. Some people who see her and talk to her don't realize how great she was. They don't see her as a videogame player. She kicked ass on the first Final Fantasies.
I think my mom and I have bonded a lot through the years when playing videogames. I'm 24 now and feel I could never let go of them and I'd make sure they're a great leisure time in my kids lives if I ever have any.
I tend to stick to the older "Arcade Classic" games like Galaga on our PS2, which my 8 year old son thinks is (and I quote, "boooorrrrinnngggg". I don't seem to have the patience anymore to sit down on one of his newer games to learn all the nuances. The joy of getting old....
Thats what happens when I play my cousin (7) in Smackdown. I grab a chair and kick his ass (in the game of course) and he gets mad and doesnt want to play anymore because I beat him in 30 seconds.
"If we were to flush the crap out of the United States of America I'd pull the plug right here in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania!" -Bret Hart Raw 1996
i will definetly play video games with my child when i get one. even of they want to watch when there young. hell my dad watched me play ocarania of time (best zelda game EVER). my mom and loves to play mario party with me. the new generation of parents are coming in video game parents that will be the best. im not a adult but i dont give a damn what other people think im playing video games with my child.
family guy vaccum guy "we found what was clogging your vaccum it was a half eaten meatball" peter "oh ... did ya save it" vaccum guy "no" peter "you bastard"
My Dad and I played mad amounts of Tecmo Bowl and Lee Trevino's fighting Golf. As I got older and games got more complex he quit playing them. Then I bought Links 386 for Fathers Day one time and it was on again. Man he loved that game.
I have a 2 year old and now and he loves to watch me play on the Gamecube. Personally I can't wait until he is old enough to play with me. When I found out I was having a boy the first thing I told my wife "I will finally have in friend to play Madden with!" Naturally now- he will become a disenchanted goth kid and hate me, but a Dad can dream.
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Wienerville Survivor League Co-Champion If I lived back in the wild west days, instead of carrying a six-gun in my holster, I'd carry a soldering iron. That way, if some smart-aleck cowboy said something like "Hey, look. He's carrying a soldering iron!" and started laughing, and everybody else started laughing, I could just say, "That's right, it's a soldering iron. The soldering iron of justice." Then everybody would get real quiet and ashamed, because they had made fun of the soldering iron of justice, and I could probably hit them up for a free drink.
I have two sons ages 10 and 11. when they were toddlers I would give them a controller (not plugged in) so they thought they were playing. Oddly it doesn't work. somehow they know the controller is not plugged in.
As my kids grew older they took to games like Zelda and what not.... colorful graphics and non-linear game play.
I used to be able to play two player games with em, like army battle games and sports games and beat them to mercyless pulp. In the past year, they're gamming skills are as good or better than mine at games.
My 11 year old and I play Madden 04 often, I'll play the QB and he plays the running back. I used to clean their clocks at Tiger Woods Golf, now I hardly can beat em.
Like my daddy alway's said: if you can't get in the front door, just go around to the back.
It's awesome playing games with your kids. I'm 26 and have a 7-year-old (I know, I was young).
We've played through classics like the original Final Fantasy together and it's great experiencing it with him. We also play a lot of sports games two-player style. Of course, we stay away from anything to graphich or violent (just my parental choice) and he doesn't really like "scary" games like the Silent Hill type stuff.
But it's one of the funnest things we do together.
Not sure if Joystiq is behind due to Christmas, my Google Reader is being slow, or they're moving their new release news to Tuesdays. DSiWare North America (Monday) - Oregon Trail (800 points) - Sudoku Sensei (500 points) - Glow Artisan (500 points)...