Day 89: The Gaming Gottas

I do believe I have had my fill of video games. And I don’t even play them. I played once with Aaron and Victoria about three weeks ago. There was a lot of drama over needing two players and Vic was ready to bow out. But Aaron would not be able to save the current “progress” in the game if she quit at that point, and he was MIFFED! Dom, who would normally opt in, was at the office for some weekend work. So I offered. To play. Ugh.

The game was Super Mario Brothers, and I was to be Luigi (always second fiddle!). I knew Vic had played alone earlier and I asked her how she did it. She explained that she just put Luigi in a bubble and dragged him along. If you play Mario at all, this means something to you. If you don’t, then you are wearing the same look on your face that I was wearing on mine. Bubble???

Yes, if one player is in a bubble, he is safe from all harm. But he is not available to assist if the other player gets into trouble, at which point the game is over. So it’s a double-edged sword, this bubble idea. Vic is totally okay with that because she does not put a lot of stock into the points or the winning, she just likes to play. So if she has to start over a million times, no biggie. She’s just having fun. Aaron is more, well, DRIVEN.

We began to play and the phone rang. It was Dom. Vic answered and explained to him with great amusement that “Mommy is playing Super Mario with Aaron!!! It’s so funny!!!” Once I was handed the phone, I could hear Dom laughing as he confirmed, “So, you’re playing the game? How’s that going?” (snicker, snicker)

“We’ve been playing for 45 seconds and I have died twice. I suck at this!”

Dom, on the other hand, loves playing the game with the kids. He’s good at it. They got the short end of the stick when they asked me to play, and it was soon very evident. About twenty minutes into the game, Aaron suggested, “Mommy, maybe you should just get in your bubble!”

And that’s pretty much how it is with me and video games. They’re just not my thing. So I find it hard to understand how my kids can play as long as they can and STILL not want to stop when I make them take a break. Aside from Mario on the Wii, there are iPod games and DSi games, so they are never without some form of competitive entertainment. All good, I’m sure, but I sometimes think I need more structure on game time.

Dom and I stop the games and force the kids outside on pretty days. We stop the games to make them get ready for church. We stop the games to have them bring the laundry down. We stop the games so we can eat a meal as a family. We’re stopping these games a bit too much in my opinion. For the sake of our weekend sanity, which the kids think they have no vested interest in, game time is about to get limited considerably.

Then perhaps I will stop hearing the Mario tune in my dreams.