On building a video game canon for my family ⊟
Since the birth of my twins, I have an infinite supply of more pressing concerns than their future video game habits, but I admit it’s something I’ve given thought to in a rare idle moment. In a few years, I’ll slowly begin introducing them to media, including the video games around which I’ve built my life. And, because I think too much about everything, I’ve wondered how exactly to do it. What do you use to introduce children to the medium of video games? There are different approaches depending on your goals, and on your philosophy.
I could begin them where I began, with a Colecovision, and let them experience a curated journey through the generations of games. By starting with Space Panic and Looping, and gradually playing more technologically complex systems, I could give my girls a crash course in the history of video games. I also run the risk of turning them off games forever. Sure, I think Pepper II is great, but will someone born in 2013? This approach is very artificial, and pretty much removes the spontaneity that should be inherent in a leisure time activity. I’m not sure about the idea of carefully programming their time-wasting.
I could, instead, curate a selection of games based not on any historical significance, but instead on personal significance. I think every parent who likes games wants their kids to experience Super Mario Bros., for example. Games like Super Metroid, Parappa the Rapper, and Ninja Gaiden contributed so much not only to what kind of games I like, but who I am, and I want to share those feelings. This approach has the advantage of not relying on a strict chronological order, and thus includes freedom to play whatever along with the favorites I suggest. Thinking about this scheme makes me feel like a parent who just “knows what good music is” and insists on playing classic rock to prevent their kids from imprinting on popular music. Sharing my tastes like this could be a way of bonding, or it could just prove how out of touch I am. Worse, it could lead to them being out of touch.
That leads me to what I’ll probably end up doing, the totally laissez-faire approach of letting them play whatever they want to. I already know that, like a parent hearing their kids’ favorite music for the first time, I’ll probably be utterly dismayed by the stuff they love, which I will perceive as total garbage. Being children of the 2010’s, it’s entirely likely my girls will gravitate toward free-to-play, branded, mobile apps as their interactive pastimes. And I will have to suck it up.
Of course, I play games too (professionally, even, sort of!) so the house will always have other kinds of games in it. And as the girls grow up and hone their tastes in games (assuming they like games!) I’ll get a window into the nuances of stuff I usually don’t know anything about.
I guess the important thing is that whatever they end up doing with their time, we do it together whenever possible. No, wait, what’s more important than that is that they play a bunch of old NES games, so they can understand and love Retro Game Challenge.
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IMAGE Mayata
