If you are a kid, teenager, or a college student then there is no denying the fact that your mom/dad or both are:
- Your ATM.
- Your problem solver and guide.
- Your biggest hurdle in getting a free pass.
Of course, things change when you grow up, but till then, it is all about them funding your dreams, needs, and obviously, your video games. At the same time, most parents are also against children playing video games. How do you convince your father or mother to buy you a game and then let you play it for a long time? Well, the answer is simple: You get them a video game you think they’d enjoy.
Nobody hates gaming, they just need to get introduced to it through the correct means, I did the same. I knew my dad loved golf, so I bought him “Tiger Woods PGA Tour 13” for Xbox Kinect. The swinging, chipping, and putting got him into the groove. He played for an hour and was slowly, getting into the whole “Achievement Unlock” biz. I also told him about “WGT (World Golf Tour),” an online golf game, The addiction was so immense that he played it even during his free office hours (not a bad thing at all). Gaming is anyway good for office goers. Why? Check this out). He is a competitive guy, and a few hours into WGT, his competitive juices started flowing, and he was really motivated by the whole reaching the pro level thing.
After almost a year of playing, I asked him to write for iLL Gaming about the games he played, He gladly accepted. He gave me 2 articles, one was a review and other was how he felt playing these games. It was quite amazing and touching. In the latter article, this is what he had to say:
“I bought my son a Nintendo when he was 5, I took him to video gaming parlors like ‘Future Zone’ and ‘Little Paradise’ and played with him for hours, but then told him to stop when he grew up. I felt that he had passed the threshold of gaming. I told him to study, be a professional and carve out a career out of his engineering education. He did all that and look where he has landed up now; he is running a video gaming website (www.illgaming.in). Not only that, he has driven the angry old man out of me and has reinstated the young adventurous dude who loves to pass free time by playing games, solving puzzles and downloading apps. Well, the sudden advent of mobile technology has its share to play, which helped me realize the true potential of all this. And now he has asked me to write this article which might be able to help some other kids in a similar situation.
Back in 2010, my son got me an Xbox 360+Kinect, as a present for my Wedding Anniversary, with a couple of compatible games. It was basically my console on which he could also play, a brilliant idea and a cheeky move considering I did not prefer games then. The whole motion sensing volleyball, table tennis, javelin etc were fun in the beginning, but got boring soon after as there was no real attachment or feel to it. Last year he got me ‘PGA Tour 13’ again for my Wedding Anniversary. Because of my evergreen love for Golf, it was an immediate eye catcher, without even opening the cover. Being an avid follower of the sport, the real world golf courses and the full body stroke play got me instantly addicted to it. All dreams are not feasible, much like my dream of playing on ‘Kiawah Island’ and ‘Pebble Beach’ golf courses, but this game brought me closer to that world like no other, not even watching tournaments on TV. I could hit, chip and putt the ball on one of the windiest courses on the planet, and also get a pro rating by slowly progressing through the levels. Defeating my son was ever so satisfying (not everyday you defeat your kid at video gaming); I had finally found my meditation technique. This game really helped me forget the fatigue laden work routine, I could come back home and play 9 holes of serenity, and feel like a king at the end of it all.
The introduction to gaming did not change or spoil me, it just showed me a new dimension. There is no harm in gaming being a small part of anyone’s life, be it a kid, teenager or an adult; it just needs to be productively implemented and scheduled into our daily or weekly routines. Now I follow the app store regularly on my Galaxy Note 2, and browse through games, technology and news to keep myself updated and informed. This great mix of gaming and technology is still only a few years old; but is a great stress buster, good time pass and informative new world norm.”
For the record, my mom is a Temple Run and Angry Birds fan, and my dad is a video game golfing pro; and every night there is a “Temple Run” fetch the highest score competition at my home, where all four of us (mom, dad, sis, and I) sit with our respective smartphones and share a competitive, joked-up family moment. Gaming turned my dad into a cool person, and is one of the top reasons for our family’s evening fun time. Anyone and everyone can and should play, Games entertain, educate, and connect. So spread the word and “Play On.”
