video games...

So…video games are kinda a big thing in our house. Well, they’re especially big for one specific member of our household. (disclaimer: when I say it’s a “big” thing, it’s only about 4-5 hours a week.) My husband does enjoy his gaming. In fact, this month he was trying to convince me that he needs a “catch-up” allowance so that he can actually have some cash in his sock basket once in a while instead of always spending the next month’s allowance on games before he actually sees any dough. Funny guy. But yeah, video games. Well, my hubby is pretty good at video games. He has a couple systems (which he has purchased with his allowance and received as gifts) and a decent number of games. He can pick up a game and right away knows how to play and where to go. He has finished (or wrapped, for the old-school readers out there) the majority of his games that he owns…at least I think he has. He loves to relax after a long week with a game controller (or remote as he called it this week – haha) in his hand and his eyes glued to the alternate world on the other side of that screen. Well, whatever works for him, I suppose.

And then there’s me. I grew up being quite the gamer. I was right on top of games such as Donkey Kong (Country), Super Mario Bros, and Top Gear (car racing). (yeah, we only had three games growing up…but two of them were pretty amazing!) My brother (and sometimes my sister) and I would spend our Saturdays trying desperately (and sometimes it was desperately) to pass just one more level…just one more world. Then we could save and come for supper. Oh, the good old days.

I remember trying to convince Mom and Dad to give it a shot. Every once in a while, they would humor us and sit down for a couple minutes and play. We would eagerly push the controller into their hands and quickly explain which button controlled what. Then we would glue our eyes to the television and watch little Mario or Diddy Kong walk slowly across the screen, only to walk straight into a “bad guy” or down a hole. Then we kids would laugh hysterically and try to explain what to do differently in that situation in order to stay alive. I remember Dad, especially, protesting that these games were so confusing because he didn’t know where to go or what to do! I thought that was so strange because it was a side-scrolling game and there was only one way to go…forward. Little did I know that games would eventually become 3-D and one could not only walk to the right, but also to the left, front and back! What innovation! Now I watch Nathan play video games and he tries to convince me to take a turn. Every once in a while, I’ll humor him and sit down for a couple minutes and play. Nathan eagerly pushes the controller (or remote) into my hand and quickly explains which button controls what. My mind barely grasps what he just said and the game is starting. I’ll wander around and soon the screen turns red and I’ve met my maker. I just shake my head and protest that I didn’t even know where I was supposed to go! (and what a dumb game it is) Life is a vicious circle…

Sometimes my brother comes over and, when hubby isn’t home, we sit down and turn on the X-box. We choose a game that we think we can handle and each grab a controller. Twenty minutes later, when we’ve figured out how to turn the system on and get the game going (selecting two players is especially difficult), we fumble our way around these strange virtual places and laugh like we were 10 again. Neither of us has stayed current with the gaming world…he, like me, is much more comfortable with the old-school Super Nintendo controller in hand and games like Donkey Kong or Super Mario on the screen (which, by the way, we can wrap in just under an hour now).