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The Impact of Being a Gaming Parent

2old2play.com — One womens account of what it really means to be a gaming parent and how gaming can affect children in a possitive light through understanding BEING THERE! Don't believe the hype, video games can actually save you childs relationship with you.

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doodirock2 1 year 63 days ago, made popular 1 year 63 days ago

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GroovyElm, on 10/12/2007, -5/+25Very well written Twisted!
- CanadianGeese, on 10/12/2007, -20/+4Good read! Don't let the spelling of "positive" in the description keep you from reading this article.
- ngmcs8203, on 10/12/2007, -16/+9@ canadiangeese
  or "womens" instead of woman's??
- flippinjeremy, on 10/12/2007, -9/+34milf
- neutrascrub, on 10/12/2007, -15/+5@ ngmcsblah
  I think it's womenz
- doodirock2, on 10/12/2007, -6/+43Sorry about that guys. I didn't proof it at all. If I could edit I would. Then again, Im sure I would just spell something else wrong. I learned to read just last week.
- gak001, on 10/12/2007, -10/+2I'm assuming that you aren't the *woman* or, at the very least, I hope that you aren't.
- LocalDocal, on 10/12/2007, -13/+7I shouldn't believe the hype that gaming is bad for children. Should I believe the hype that gaming is GOOD for them then?
  
  Personally, I'm not going to believe either. As far as I'm concerned, if you're an alright person, then you'll turn out alright regardless of whether you're a gamer or not. Games are not going to harm you or help you. Why don't we stop blaming AND attributing things that happens to various objects of our choice and start looking for the real causes?
- sid0, on 10/12/2007, -12/+5What is the need to put every proper noun in "quotes"?
- AlienFromBeyond, on 10/12/2007, -8/+5@sid0
  I ave no idea, but it was getting on my nerves as well.
- spling, on 10/12/2007, -6/+24In case this goes down.
  
  The Impact of Being a Gaming Parent
  by twistedcaboose| Published: Monday, May 07 @ 13:01:08 EDT
  
  We’ve all heard it before, “Video games are bad for kids”. The press, some celebrities, religious leaders and of course politicians want to blame events and actions of our children on video games. This is our opportunity as gaming parents to prove them wrong.
  
  Video games mean so much more for parents. Being a gaming parent means more quality time with our children and more sharing. It gives us insight to what our children enjoy and gives us control over what our children do.
  
  Although I was a gamer when I was a child and young adult, I lost touch with the gaming world until after my son was born. I am the mother of a 16 year old son. Being close to my son has meant stepping into his world and enjoying what he enjoys.
  
  My son’s gaming began on the “Nintendo Gamecube” at around the age of eight. His game of choice then was “Zelda: Ocarina of Time”. It had been years since I picked up a console controller. I played badly at first but I would sneak into his room at night while he was asleep to practice and hone my skills. His gaming time was limited because he was young and reading and learning were more important at his age; each night we would play for an hour and on weekends a couple of hours per day. We would take turns on the controller. I would usually only play if he was having a hard time getting through something. We each would have our attempts at defeating the unbeatable bosses. I shared in the excitement when after 20 grueling tries he would finally beat a level or boss and I would bask in the hugs, kisses and pride when I beat a level or boss he could not defeat. And yes I even spent late nights while he slept looking for hints and walk-throughs.
  
  After a few years on the Gamecube and a few years older his attention was set on the “Xbox” and “PS2”. His first love on the "Xbox" was “Halo: Combat Evolved”. I watched him play campaign and shared in his triumphs and then the ominous question came “Mom, can I play online?” This was my time to shine as a parent. My answer; “Get the other controller.” We hooked up to “Xbox Connect” and with some of my sons friends and were live within minutes. At first we created or joined rooms where only my son’s friends and a couple of their parents could play. Then together we ventured in to the world of multiplayer with unknown rivals. Sometimes we would get profane kids but they would be booted from the party immediately. I was REALLY bad at first. I had never actually played campaign with my son; just watched. My son and his friends constantly called me a “noob”. I practiced for hours at night just to be able to look up and walk at the same time. My skills and enjoyment of the game began to increase. My son would have his friends over and we would all play Halo until the wee hours of the night; laughing, giving each other high fives, eating junk food and ribbing each other if we died too quickly. On one of those nights my defining moment came that proved me a gaming parent. A kid we had been playing with was talking “smack”. Nothing profane just the normal stuff like “you suck” and “I can beat without trying” and “my dad could beat you”. My son, bless his heart, says “Dude my mom can beat your dad.” What? No pressure here! The kid gets his dad on and he and I exchange hellos and then game on. My heart was pounding, my palms sweaty and the boys were cheering for me. In the end I beat his dad. He and I had a great opportunity as parents to teach all the kids a lesson; sportsmanship. We exchanged the good games and talked about the game a bit and his son played with us a bit more. The light hearted “smack” talk continued and in the end my son’s favorite line to the kid was “dude my mom beat your dad in Halo”. They laughed. We still laugh about it.
  
  With the release of “Halo2” the gaming together continued for years with my son and his friends. We ventured into Match Making together and found a good group of friends to game with. I would hear some of his online friend’s stories about school, getting their drivers license, how they did on tests and some of his friends that were in college and how they were doing; a great group of friends and people in general.
  
  I then found a website for older gamers that not only let me enjoy my gaming with my son but other gamers that had similar life experiences; “2old2play.com.” The site offered me a choice from over 9000 gamers to play with that share a lot of what I share. Many are married, some are single. They have homes, cars, jobs and stress. Sometimes we talk about our kids, some ask for advice and insight or help; but we all share our lives and love of video games. Many of us have met face-to-face. We get together and play. We all relieve our stresses together. Many of us have children that we game with; the majority in fact. It is a safe haven for gaming adults. I have made “real-life” friends that share what I love.
  
  Present day; my son has moved onto PC gaming while I remain a console gamer. He still picks up the “Xbox 360” controller every once in a while and still games with me when new maps come out for “Halo2” and still enjoys playing some of the other games with his friends every once in a while. I am still a die hard Halo fan and play every night with my friends and am involved with "2old2play.com" doing whatever I can to help. Even though I don’t play PC games I understand what my son does and still share in the joy when he reaches a goal. A couple of months ago I found myself dropping everything to watch my son play “Shadow of the Colossus” on his “PS2”. It was a beautiful game to watch, the creativity and game play; I sat in awe. My son even appreciated the artistry involved in creating this game. I watched almost every minute that he played and we talked about the features in the game. Gaming has brought a new level of closeness between him and me.
  
  Now that you’ve read my tale of our gaming experience you may ask, “What is the impact of being a gaming parent?” Look closely at the text that I’ve bolded. You notice words like closeness, joy, share, talk, love and many more. These experiences are the impact. We as adults are the purchasers of these games for our kids and ourselves. We are the leading buyers in the industry. At some point as parents we can choose to let video gaming be another wall between our kids and ourselves or we can pick up a controller or put our hands on a keyboard and become part of our children’s lives. In the time of technology our kids will game in some way. Parents have the opportunity to venture into the world of technology with their kids or stand on the side lines.
  
  I challenge any politician to read this story and tell me that video games are bad for MY son. In fact the opposite is true. What you find in this short story of our lives is an experience of togetherness, love, understanding, friendship and sharing. One simple thing, gaming, it is what makes us closer. For some families it’s sports or music; for my little family it’s video games. In fact this is only a small sample of why video games are good for our family and others like us. Go ahead, tell me that all of these things: quality time, limited, excitement, hugs, kisses and pride, shine, together, laughing, defining moment, gaming parent, cheering, sportsmanship, real-life friends, love, understand, share, joy, we talked and closeness, are bad for my son. Then I will ask you what you do with your children that leads to a better understanding of them, sharing with them, talking with them, that allows them to open up to you, that impacts their lives.
  
  I control what my son sees, plays and hears. I have taught my son lessons through video games and made myself available to him to open up and communicate. I control what video games my son buys. I share in my son’s life and love of video games.
  
  I am an impact on my son’s life because I am a gaming parent.
- jandeloo, on 10/12/2007, -15/+3This was not well written, in fact it was kind of hard to read. Definitely interesting, but hard to read.
- walkingdogs, on 10/12/2007, -1/+24The key here is that she was actually being a parent instead of just buying whatever game her kid wants and sticking them in a room somewhere to fend and learn for himself. She obviously got the chance to instill morals into this kid and make him realize the difference between the real and virtual world. Very good article. If parents learned to be the parent instead of the console we wouldn't be having the arguments we are today.
- KnockoutNerd, on 10/12/2007, -7/+3The only thing that got on my nerve was that she referred to the N64 as Gamecube, other then that very well written and insightful.
- j0ker666, on 10/12/2007, -9/+1So they have got every current console + a pc ......
  
  I don't care how rich you are, thats just a waste of money
linksyslover, on 10/12/2007, -8/+24Suck it jack.
WallyB, on 10/12/2007, -5/+10Well done, twisted!
Kerdaq, on 10/12/2007, -4/+15Well said, twisted. I, too have 2 teenagers and couldn't agree more.
Nomad2o2p, on 10/12/2007, -6/+5Great read!!!
blueorder, on 10/12/2007, -4/+11Awesome read.
SqueakyWheel, on 10/12/2007, -54/+1ALL LIES! she talks about playing HALO Combat Evolved online, and then getting HALO2 years later.
- linksyslover, on 10/12/2007, -0/+42Maybe you should really read the article. She say she play Halo 1 online and "We hooked up to “Xbox Connect” and with some of my sons friends and were live within minutes." Xbox Connect allowed anyone with an Xbox and Halo 1 to play online with each other.
  
  http://www.xbconnect.com/
  
  Welcome to the internet.
- ScarlemNocturne, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Hahahahah
  
  Please have one internet for making my day complete at 11:16 AM.
twistedcaboose, on 10/12/2007, -0/+27Squeaky

XBOX Connect, never heard of it? :o) Also played alot of the beginning PC games but didn't honestly think everyone wanted every detail of my gaming history as well as my sons.;o)
DavidDigg, on 10/12/2007, -0/+14This sounds like a great idea. A) you're doing something your kids want to do, namely playing video games B) you're doing something that is fun for both of you, so you can *genuinely* enjoy the time you spend with them. Playing video games can also reduce tension in relationships. I think there is a study about this.
ChronicColonic, on 10/12/2007, -5/+23"Mom, Dad...I have something to tell you that may effect the way you feel about me. This is really hard to say....gulp...here it goes.

Mom, Dad...I am a gamer."

Dad: "See Martha? I KNEW something was wrong with him!"
Mom: "He is our only son. The family name died tonight...sniff..."
GhostToon, on 10/12/2007, -1/+23This mom deserves one hell of a mothers day gift. Her mug that says "Coolest mom ever" may just be true also.....don't tell my mom I said that.
- Durrok, on 10/12/2007, -0/+8I think "My Mom can beat your Dad at Halo" would be appropriate as well ;)
- Smuikas, on 10/12/2007, -0/+10"My mom kicked your dad out of the raid for getting knocked into the whelps.."
  
  >_>
shadows88, on 10/12/2007, -30/+3Surprisingly enough, these bonds can be formed by doing normal physical activities with your child instead of sitting on a couch eating junkfood and staring at a tv for hours at a time. This article seems to me like a justification for being a lazy parent.
- sunshinemonster, on 10/12/2007, -3/+11Who really cares if they were eating junkfood and sitting on the couch? Maybe it was raining, hailing, night time, or anything else that would keep them inside. Who says that they don't also do physical activites outside? The definition of lazy is knowing you're supposed to do something and you don't do it, she's just having a relaxing, fun time with her kids. I think you need to realize you're very judgemental.
- iomesus, on 10/12/2007, -14/+2Spot on.
  
  So many gamers try to justify their addiction to gaming - and it's even worse when they try to justify it for their children as well. Stop lying to yourselves.
- RedHerringHack, on 10/12/2007, -1/+10Lazy and Parent don't go together. Anyone who has kids knows this. You just try keeping a 3 year old from running jumping digging biking, especially boys. You obviously don't have kids. You buy into the stereotype. What other kinds of stereotypes do you exercise?
- maong, on 10/12/2007, -0/+8Frankly, a kid of this day and age is going to be playing video games regardless of a parent's wishes. I think it's admirable that a parent is getting involved so that she can not only understand the past-time, but learn to enjoy it along with her children.
  
  I dislike it how people assume that, just because a person, whether parent or child, is spending time playing video games, they are doing it to the exclusion of other activities. Broaden your perspective people.
- Katana314, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4Well, you have to get them to do physical activities first. Most kids...aren't willing to do this. I say take what you can get. The parents will be considered "cool", and may have a stronger say in whether the kid should go outside.
hassmaschine, on 10/12/2007, -0/+13That's a great read. Being a parent of 4 younger ones, we're just starting to explore this with the wii. What a great experience it is to sit with your 5 or 7 year old and be able to bowl, play tennis, fish, all at your whim, and you all have a good laugh together watching each others mistakes and triumphs, and I am looking forward to what the future brings, as this type of gaming DOES bring those parents and children closer, for those parents that care enough to be involved.
techsyslonghorn, on 10/12/2007, -1/+16excellent read, it's how I'm gonna bring my kiddos up.
- Kyoushu, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6Many gamers growing up in this generation will probably raise their kids in such a way. So great..
thatsbologna, on 10/12/2007, -9/+3slowly....dying...need....mirror...
dotlizard, on 10/12/2007, -1/+16My son was rather resistant to reading, and had to read a certain number of pages every week. This was excruciating until I started downloading Game F.A.Q.'s and walkthroughs -- since he was already familiar with some of the concepts and vocabulary, he was reading material that was significantly above his grade level, with better comprehension. and (finally) he was happy to read, he looked forward to it!

similarly, when he had a month-long project to do an oral book report, we bought a biography of Tony Hawk, along with the Project 8 game for his PSP (research!) -- and my shy little guy got 100%, and his teacher was so totally stoked she gave him extra credit (that helped make up for a whole bunch of homework he'd neglected up to that point).
Nougat, on 10/12/2007, -2/+19Man, I can't wait until my son's old enough to want to do some real gaming.
- jfpersona1, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I don't know how old your son is, but (8 yrs) can already kick my butt at Mario Kart Double Dash. I can keep it competitive enough to win a few times, but he will come out on top more times than not. I think getting into 'real' gaming depends on what game you are talking about and whether they have an affinity for it.
TheTjalian, on 10/12/2007, -1/+15It's really great to hear of Gamer Parents and their stories. I love it when me and my mum are playing games together. Fantastic Article :)
- Miche1987, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Agreed. As little as she likes to play video games, my mom will open up to some DDR every now and then. It's awesome to see her get involved in something I like to do.
  
  And I'm 20 BTW. Imagine what a teen/preteen would experience, seeing their parents get involved with them in their activities.
spling, on 10/12/2007, -2/+11Me and my father have grown alot closer to each other since we both started playing WoW. I never read the article, but I thought I'd share that.
- Smuikas, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6On the one hand, I don't miss my time in WoW at all - the level grinding, the time wasting, et cetera.. on the other hand, I used to play with my mom and her boyfriend quite a bit - we'd go on pvp raids, instance runs, everything. Since she moved to California, it was one of the ways we kept in touch - and it not only helped me continue to have a close relationship with my mom, but also helped me get to know her boyfriend quite a bit better.
  
  Once I got a full time job and moved 600 miles away from any other family, my WoW playing went quickly away in order to work on more personal projects (and, of course, my job!) - but because we were close from playing WoW together, I could convince her to finally get AIM (she'd been using ICQ since 1997!) and gaim (now pidgin) in order to keep in touch easier than a phone call once a month. I still call, of course, but it's good to just have mindless chatter with your family sometimes :)
  
  While I still see my father as a father, I see my mother more as a friend than a parent these days.
quaff, on 10/12/2007, -8/+2Grammar can also "save you childs relationship with you."
- ChronicColonic, on 10/12/2007, -3/+8Don't give total credit to Grammar...I am sure Grammpa had something to do with it too...
RTJR, on 10/12/2007, -13/+1Can you say FAT......
- Miche1987, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Yes, I can, actually. So do you have anything to contribute to the article?
cannibal666, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7What a well written article, I really enjoyed it!
rokinroj, on 10/12/2007, -0/+12I played about 5 games of MLB 2K7 on the 360 with my 14 year old son this weekend. We also have an ongoing house wide Guitar Hero tourney. We range in age from 38 to 8 and we all still love it.
I agree with the poster above that basically if you are an alright person, you will probably be alright, games or no games. But, part of being an alright person (in my opinion) is being in good with your family. And this definitely is something that keeps us all hanging out together and doing something fun.
RedHerringHack, on 10/12/2007, -1/+15My 3 year old son begs me to play burnout so he can watch. He is into matchbox cars, as am I. He loves it and simulates crashing with his cars just like I did when I was a little fellow. Any time he accidentally sees me playing something like crackdown or halo ( for a few seconds ), he understands that it's good guys vs bad guys and that his dad is a good guy, the equivalent of the "home team" in baseball which he also loves. He is also into spiderman, who is a good guy. He has no trouble with the concept of hero vs villian, swiper vs dora, reality vs pretend.

I got him a VTECH of his own, and he loves it. He also watches me play "Cars" and go tractor tipping, and that's the coolest. His twin sister isn't as much into gaming, but still plays blues clues and dora on the VTECH. Gaming makes kids smart. I am 42, and my wife (41) plays too. Mostly Wii bowling in which we all participate (which is a blast). Communication is the key to raising a well adjusted child. Don't leave kids guessing about *anything*. Give them the info they need. Interact with them. Don't ever say "because I told you so".
Scruvy, on 10/12/2007, -1/+12Some of the best times I had with my dad were playing Doom 2 or Golden Eye on nintendo
RichOfTheJungle, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6That was a really nice read. I enjoyed that. That's how I'll probably raise my kids. It makes so much more sense to me to actually be involved in your kids' interests rather than telling them what they can't do without having any real knowledge.
inajeep, on 10/12/2007, -1/+8I have the same story except the gaming group that I found has only 200 member and most are active enough. We are mostly older guys with kids with a wife thrown in here and there. My son, now 11, loves Halo/2 and I can't recall the number of 'discussions' my wife who is not a gamer and I had on him playing Halo in general. The game that cemented his desire to be a gamer was Kingdom Hearts which we took turns controlling the characters. We got it for Xmas and ever since then the music from that games gets me all nostalgic for Xmas. Other titles got some scrutiny based on the title or level of explosion she heard from the next room but after a while she is learning to trust my judgement on whether something is right for him(or she just gave up). My older son is mature and a straight A student(a little fatherly bragging, sorry) but if his grades slip then the first thing to get banned is the games and computer. He started around 3 years old playing Midnight madness on the PC sitting on my lap. One of the patches allowed you to shoot chickens out whenever you hit the horn and he giggled every time. He(we) now have a PS2, two DS's, PSP, GameCube and Wii but we still game together on the 360. I won't let him play Gear of War but tonight when his homework and chores are done we will be playing some Halo 2.
dlamp73, on 10/12/2007, -2/+7i've noticed that playing games like kameo and lego star wars 2 on the 360 have helped my 7 year old read better. also he's a smart little dude who works out most puzzles before i do. gaming is great, just limit the kids time doing it, and make sure they get out and exercise so they don't get fat and unhealthy.
TonksKC, on 10/12/2007, -0/+11Finally, parents who are actually in favor of video games. It's refreshing to read a story like this after all that other crap about how bad games are :P
catfish182, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4I will read this but i dont have time yet. I can say this. Every other friday is "game night" it started with my oldest and me (she is 10) and we mainly played ps2. It has since became something bigger as now her friends will come over and bring one of thier parents (mostly dad's but sometimes mom's) and now we have a 4 person lan party along with a ps2 and a xbox 360. My wife does snacks (finger food and the such) and parents bring stuff also. It has turned into a great time and its a lot of fun.
nOOBert, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4You notices as old generations fade and the new ones come into light that tails such as this one will become more and more common. As the old generation fades from congress and fade from being CEOs and the new generations take their place, tails such as this will become more and more common. Just has it has done in the past just as it will always be. The old generations will continue to be stubern and scared of changed while the new generations will be willing to change and move forward.

Good stuff. Good read.
- nOOBert, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5Dont mean to reply to my self but...
  
  The same concept works with significant others too. The wife and I share game time every once and a while. While she is not greatest at games we still play together and that is all that matters.
chrismgtis, on 10/12/2007, -10/+3Buried. Horrible spelling and grammar.
TehSwat, on 10/12/2007, -3/+2Great article, although full of spelling mistakes and what not.

But that isn't the point; I have a friend just like this who plays with his step mom all the time. My Dad still plays with me on some racing games on my Xbox 360, an it's lots of fun.
kylebox, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7My mom can beat The Legend of Zelda Links Awakening from start to finish in a couple days, i just have to help her out with bosses ;)
mutatron, on 10/12/2007, -9/+3Some of the best times I've had with my daughter were when we were rolling our eyes at her gamer friends.

Not really, but really, I don't much enjoy computer games and neither does she. We like doing stuff in reality rather than immersing ourselves in virtual reality.
- Sabredog, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4Not really, but really, what the heck are you talking about?
- rstarr, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4Wow, that was the most condescending thing I have read all day.
- FreePlayPSP, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I hope your darling Buffy gets kicked off the cheerleading squad.
DeusNova, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5Hahaha, my parents have no interesting in game at all . =(
ParisAsta, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4This was a wonderful story and it made me think of my own, crazy classic gaming mum. She started me out on the NES and I have played Video games, before I was even in school. There is a connection when you do things with your parents, and it does not even matter what the activity is, all that matters, is that your parents are doing something. So don't call this woman lazy, she found a way in which to interact with her children, a lot of parents forget to do that, and I for one, am happy that I know that I am not alone when it comes to the mum gamer. I just hope that I can show the same kind of dedication to my own children.
Sabredog, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3These articles are the reason I come to "Digg", the "Internet" is a great place to read "blogs" like this!
rstarr, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5I love this article so I much, I'd cheat on that last article, have sex with this article, marry it, and father a whole bunch of baby articles.

Twisted, you are a very classy lady and your son is very lucky. My mother is similar, but lacks the motor skills for Halo, but ever since X-Mas every time I go home to visit from school we play together for hours just like I do with my friends. I instantly called her after I read this article and e-mailed it to her. I plan on getting her a Wii for Mother's Day so we can exchange Mii's and (Nintendo PLEASE) play online sometime together. She's been near bed-ridden on and off for months because of her kidneys and this way she feels like she's not missing out in the world and is having some fun in places where she can't always and we get to play through games together from a distance...

Now if only I could get her into Halo so I could pwn n00bs with my mom...not necessarily for the experience, just to say that and mean it.
sixdust, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4My mom used to play Sonic the hedgehog 1 when I was younger and we used to have pacman / tetris competitions as a family. Now I play my dad once in a while in Dead or Alive 3 or Street Fighter 2. I love to game with my parents. I have also gotten money and new games/controllers so we could play other stuff together. I have been gaming since 4 years old, Shinobi III was the first game I played and I would play alot of fun games as a kid. Me and my dad also compete in the Windows mobile game Bubble Breaker whenever we are bored. I even hooked both of my sisters onto halo/Pokemon/harvest moon and many other fun franchises.
John0877, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5/me waits for Jack Thompson to come out saying this is gonna lead to parent-child crime teams. HAH

i wish my dad would be into games and computers in general then maybe he would quit looki9ng down on me for using a computer or thinking all they are are toys and all that. he seems to think that cause he grew up without one so should i and completely ignores the fact that times change and all that. my mom uses her computer too and he just kinda scoffs and walks away most times as well.
kmjmu, on 10/12/2007, -3/+1I think this mother would disagree:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=haSGAf7lvR0
RIMUSAR, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Good read
Gergs, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Very nicely written, I agree whole-heartedly as a 20 year old that the family members who have been open to gaming and even taken their part in the experience are closer to me than those who have just shrugged it off.
Juaquin, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4That's why I like the Wii - I can actually get my parents to play it with me when I'm home from college for the weekend. If there's one system that can get anyone to play, it's the Wii. Even grandma will get in on the bowling action.
AnnaMorgan, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I have LAN parties at my house every summer several times. My dad would step in and would play Halo with my friends and I and it'd be a blast.No one's saying he was good, it wasn't important. He'd play with us in Mario Party, Mario Kart 64 (until our N64 broke...may it rest in peace)...it was a lot more fun to talk to my dad about games and stuff, just as a way to connect to him. Just in gender barriers we don't have a whole lot in common. . .

I'd also like to say that when I play an MMO, like world of warcraft, I prefer to play with parents who have to go afk for a few minutes to tend to a child over hardcore gamers who would get mad if I had to stop for a few minutes to pick up the phone. I guess it all depends on how you like to play... Its also a lot of fun to quest with a father/son for me, I enjoy getting to know the people I play with. But for other people, its more fun to play with people you don't know (and don't plan on getting to know) to use the game as an escape, wherein you talk about the game and game only, and outside distractions are minimal. I just can't play like that, I like a connection to the outside world. :) That was one heck off a tangent. Anyways, I hope it makes sense.
f4nt0m4s, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2@knockoutnerd and FILTHYCUNT

Ocarina of Time was ported to the Gamecube as a special disc that came with the preorder of Wind Waker. Also, Master Quest, an updated and harder version of OoT, came on the same disc.

http://cube.ign.com/objects/495/495087.html
- twistedcaboose, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6Nice find Fant0m4s.
  
  We actually were late blooming Zelda fans and did not play it until the Gamecube. Boy if we had only known what we were missing. I never thought we'd get through the Water Dungeon.
tanto, on 10/12/2007, -3/+1Little kids should NOT be allowed to play games that involve scenes of graphic violence. And sitting in front of the game console with a bag of potato chips for eight hours a day is bad for anyone, child or adult.

"Stop Blaming Video Games - What Happened To Parental Accountability?"
http://orangtuamurid.info/blog/?p=249
BigDaddyBucyk, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2started as a "pokemon dad", helping my daughter to catch them all, now she is 15 and the more skillful at beating the tougher bosses in action games.every parent should experience the joy and beauty of Hyrule with their children. she is an excellent student and athlete also.
MackenzieArbour, on 10/12/2007, -4/+1"Go ahead, tell me that all of these things: quality time, limited, excitement, hugs, kisses and pride, shine, together, laughing, defining moment, gaming parent, cheering, sportsmanship, real-life friends, love, understand, share, joy, we talked and closeness, are bad for my son." That was probably the most poorly constructed sentence I've ever seen.
- RedHerringHack, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2It was a stream of consciousness. I speak "stream" well enough to understand it. It is poetic, a sequence of events and feelings many of which are hard to put exactly into words in any language, except "parent". I get it.
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The Impact of Being a Gaming Parent

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