Gaming

Griffin and Amelia spent a few days with us last week. We played a lot of games and watched a lot of American Ninja Warrior until finally Griffin requested Super Mario Brothers on Nintendo.

Growing up, I spent many hours playing Nintendo (and before that, Atari). We even had a special green couch called the Atari Couch because of the countless hours of butt time we logged playing video games.

My favorite Atari game was Megamania. My favorite Nintendo game was Metroid. But that doesn’t mean that I didn’t like Super Mario Brothers or that I hesitated to hook up the Nintendo per Griffin’s request.

Here’s the funny thing. I was the first person to play a round of Mario…and I’m still playing games long after Griffin and Amelia’s departure last week! I’ve ever gotten out Metroid and I’m determined to try to beat it again…if I can remember how. Metroid is very intricate. It even has passwords to start you back close to where you left off. And the super cool thing? The hero is a girl!

Games are important. They can teach patience, perseverance, cooperation, taking turns, thinking skills, and the difference between fantasy and reality…as long as there is a balance between fantasy and reality and the game does not take over a person’s real, tangible life.

So what about you? Did you have a gaming system growing up? What was it and what were your favorite games? If not, what games did you play outside or sitting around the table with your family? Some of the other games that we played last week were Dixit, Five Second Rule, Racko, Pictionary, and Don’t Say It. Have you ever heard of those? What are some games that you like to play with your family these days? I’d love to hear.