Play Together!
by ted 2112, HSM guest contributor
Growing up, I usually came home to an empty house. My mother and father both worked like crazy, and my two younger brothers arrived by bus about an hour after mine did. I would get off the bus, let myself in, let the dog out and raid the kitchen for whatever snack I could find.
On nice days I would pretend to do my homework until I just couldn’t stand it anymore; then I’d head outside to the woods, where I would lose myself in adventure. Some days, I was a noble knight with that perfect stick that doubled not only as a sword, but also a gun when I would pretend to be a fighter ace, injured and down behind enemy lines. My hour of playtime mostly existed between my ears and was a product of a great imagination and being alone.
One day, I came home to find my father’s car parked in the driveway. He worked for a greeting card company and he traveled most of the week. It was strange to see him home, but also great because he would always play with us and had that knack of making you feel special. Inside the house you could usually find him at the kitchen table, radio playing softly, reading the newspaper and drinking coffee; however today was different, and it would never be the same again.
I found him downstairs sitting in the lotus position in from of our small TV set. On the screen were blocks moving around firing smaller blocks at each other. When he saw me he said, “Ted — sit down, you’ve got to see this!”
I sat down next to my father and for the next hour we played with the strange and wonderful console. I now know it was the Atari 2600 and the game Combat that came free with it. The Atari was meant to be a Christmas present for the whole family, but he couldn’t resist so he set it up and began to play.
That day I felt like I stepped into a larger world. Like playing in the woods, my imagination fueled the games into becoming epic fun. My brothers came home later that day, and we all took turns until my mother finally came home. Although she was never much of a gamer, she usually sat on the couch watching and coaching, sometimes getting caught up in the game shouting warnings like, “Look out he’s coming behind you!”
From the start, my mother also demanded fair game play. It was imperative that my youngest brother got his chance to win. That meant you stood your tank or plane as still as possible while he came in close and shot you. We would all make a big deal out of it, cheering him that “he won!” My little brother would be so delighted he would want to rehash the adventure over and over.
My little brother isn’t so little anymore, and is perhaps the best gamer I know. I now sometimes use him to get me out of a gaming jam. Usually it’s a quick phone call to get advice on beating a boss, or sometimes it requires him to come over and get you through a tricky stage of a game.
My experience with video games from the start was a kind of social gaming. It was much better to play with someone. When the four player games came out down the road it got even better. Over the years, our 2600 turned into a Nintendo and we never stopped playing. We would plan and save for the next game we wanted; it had to be something we all agreed on, so the debates that happened at the dinner table were epic.
My father sadly never got a chance to see the Sony PlayStation. He died a few years before it came out. I felt strange playing it without him, but the family went forward, playing together whenever we could. I remember my brothers and I playing Sonic the Hedgehog and saying, “Dad would have loved this.”
My father thought video games were simply games. Things meant to be enjoyed and best shared with others. When I went on Home for the first time, I felt that same feeling. “This would have blown my father’s mind!” A place built simply to share, that doesn’t cost a thing.
Games have evolved at an ever-increasing rate since that faithful afternoon I met the Atari 2600. Although my dad never saw much of a difference between Pac-Man on a console or the cabinet at the bowling alley, he knew the essence of gaming. “Gamer” wasn’t a term invented then, but I feel my dad was a gamer well before his time.
I am a grown up now and I’ve hopefully passed on that spirit to my family. The 2600 and the NES are now the Wii and the PS3. It brings me such wonderful comfort to be playing the same Mario levels as I did with my father and further to be experiencing the wonders of Little Big Planet together with my children. My ten-year-old daughter has beat Final Fantasy XIII twice already, but isn’t much interested in Home yet. I told her that when she is ready we would hang there together.
In a great way, Home can teach her a lot about life; trolls, risqué fashion, and how great and/or generally stupid people can act. This community can be a great and safe way to learn about this crazy new world we live in.
I truly hope the sprit of my father lives on and I cherish the lessons he taught me about having fun together. I feel Home is the antithesis of gaming today, bringing together the best of gaming and being social in this amazing crazy collision. Who knows what wonders we will see down the road? I hope that my children and grandchildren keep running with the torch my father passed on to me.
Be good to each other, people. Keep gaming. And play together!
November 25th, 2011 by ted2112 | 4 comments
ted2112 is a writer and a Bass player that has been both inspired and takes to heart Kurt Vonnegut words...."we are here on planet Earth to fart around, and don't let anyone tell you different."
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Nice article Ted. I can relate to a lot of what you said about how important games are to some families. Mine was very much the same when it came to that. Good read.
That’s one of the best articles I read on here. Maybe it’s my mood or maybe it’s a reminder of times in the past and a bit of today… game systems, internet, or memories of slaying the enemies with plastic guns and swords made of tree branches. Bang bang! Swish swish! The good guys win.
Nostalgia and nowstalgia both.
Thanks
Wowsers Ted! you brought back a LOT OF GOOD MEMORIES with this piece! I can remember playing Space Invaders on my neighbors Atari 2600…OMG was I wanting one sooo bad lol…I got one for the Christmas of 80…I played the heck out of Combat and superman and LOVED the Game based on Star Wars The Empire Strikes Back…Years later in fact MANY years later I got an Nintendo NES which gave way to the Sega Genesis then Sega CD…Then ultimately I bought a Sony Playstation 2 and have a HUGE collection of Games for it….I bought My PS3 not too soon after launch…I loved all these systems and am hoping to next year buy a second PS3 for my wife and I so she can use Home and we can share in the fun of it :)….My wife is a Gamer of sorts as well…She loves the Zynga stuff on Facebook and also EA’s Pogo gamesite…She’s ALWAYS trying to complete trophy winning quests and such
So I guess Gaming is mutually Rewarding for both of us :)…
Awesome article Ted. It so brought me back to my own childhood. We too owned an Atari. I sat for countless hours with my dad and sister playing Space Invaders and Circus Atari. We would stay up way past our bedtime just to play and I am sure my father would sneak on after we were in bed. The first thing we did own was Pong, which was fun, but not the same. Then we also moved to the Nintendo where Super Mario Brothers was the game we stayed up playing. I eventually learned to get through all the levels and “save the princess”. I am glad the Wii has that game now but it seems much harder. I too am now grown and have 2 children. Currently we have a PS2, PS3 and Wii. My older daughter is lobbying for an xBox. We will see!
I am a gamer at heart and love when new stuff comes out. I too love the Zynga stuff on Facebook and playing Bejeweled and competing with my Facebook friends. I love to play Home also. It is fun to be creative and decorate your spaces.
Ted, keep these great articles coming. It was a nice trip down memory lane.