2011-12-29T02:55:00.002-06:00

I said yesterday that Bianca and I had already played "Ocarina of Time" together. Originally it was just to show her Zelda because she loves princesses. She is infatuated with Princess Peach. I personally think Peach is a hoe. I don't say that to Bianca because I love her. Seriously though, like WTF! What, she's at the castle and gets bored so she calls Bowser to come over to hang out. In that time they create some game for that stupid Italian Mario? So she sends him a letter saying what? It's my birthday and I'm making a cake. Peach. Then, shock and awe something is wrong! She's in trouble and now guess what! Somehow Bowser has this crazy new pile of level designs for you to run through. Complete with stars, extra stars, secret levels and the whole shebang. There is the rub. How is it that Peach doesn't have any protection at the castle? Because she's been having sex Bowser forever!!! <gasp> (I know right)? Just saying, but, Koopa kids? ummm

So I wanted to introduce Bianca to Zelda. She liked her just fine, I mean Peach is prettier according to
her, so there is no real competition. In fact the only princess who has even come close to beating Peach is Luna from the Lunar games. Though not technically a princess Bianca thinks she's the prettiest. Zelda though wasn't about the princess very quickly. She liked that I could carry fairies. She liked the idea of fighting bad guys. (My wife has questions about Links goodness, but that's for another day). From the beginning I had been reading her everything that happened on the screen, she sat on my lap asking questions and commenting on how pretty everything was. It wasn't until the second day of playing with her that I thought of it as something we could really do together. So once a week we played. I read her everything and she would get worried if I was hurt and clap when I got another heart, and loved playing side quests and getting Epona. When we finished the game it was the best win I had ever had because she was a part of it. She was happy for the gorons, didn't like princess Ruto at all for the problems she caused. She did get scared of the screaming zombies, we had to quit and rethink playing it at all because I got one on me and she started crying. We took about two weeks off then.

My wife and I talked about it some but really it came down to it being up to Bianca. If she thought she could handle it we would continue. In about two weeks she asked if we could play again, so we had a talk about and started it back up. She isn't afraid anymore but she doesn't like them. That conversation was what prompted this blog. Especially now that we play other games together. Mostly what Ocarina taught me as a gamer dad was a new idea of what really is appropriate. What is good gaming for kids? Better though I think is finding GREAT gaming for kids.

There are lots of games out there that, like toys, are crap. You can't just get a child any game. This is an art form, like music, and movies, and, like movies before it, it has taken a long time to get to where we are now.You don't have to buy bad movie games anymore. What "Zelda" offers is a chance to play with your kids as long as you do it right. The point of this blog is starting to make itself clear to me, I think I know what I want from it.

Stay with me, this might be fun. :

Opening remarks

2011-12-20T01:18:00.000-06:00

     It's funny. I grew up gaming. I played tank and Pole Position. I played Donkey Kong and Frogger. I played Exitebike and Enduro Racer. It wasn't until the Sega Genesis that I really came in to my own as a gamer. I remember seeing Altered Beast in a Service Merchandise in Kansas City.

     It blew my mind. Hearing "Rise from your grave" for the first time floored me. The graphics were insane, I wanted one right then and there. That Christmas, after driving my parents insane, We got a Sega Genesis. The first games I played Christmas morning were Afterburner II and Arnold Palmer golf. My dad hid them in the car, he told me to go outside and get the "Christmas tapes". Back then our Christmas music was that years Dr. Demento Show. I went outside to the car and found them in the center console. As I came back in my parents had brought out a last "secret" present. My memory of the rest of the day is blurry. Either way that memory changed my life.

   Through Highschool I gamed. Through my first marriage I played. Playstation, PS2, Dreamcast, Saturn, Nintendo 64. I loved all that stuff. The first game I played with my son was Soul Caliber, on the DC. I reamember he was two and was saying"Soul Cowberrrr" every time the game would say it. He used to love the Cut scenes. That was a long time ago. He is 14 now and plays on his own PlayStation 3 He lives with his mother in another city, but I still see him quite often and we talk about games all the time.

   The reason I'm here now is because I find myself, age 34 with two daughters, a wife, and games. I started thinking to myself, "What is appropriate gaming for the girls?" My oldest daughter Bianca is five years old, and my youngest Amelia is five months old. I'm not so much concerned about Amelia... It's Bianca. We've already played "Ocarina of time" together and some other things. She likes to play "Toejam and Earl". Thank goodness for the Wii on this one.

   Soo, in the future, this is what I will talk about. Games, and, more specifically what's good for the girls and what it means to play games responsibly. I play what I want after Bianca goes to bed, some of the games she can't play now are on the list for the future. All in all, I'll see where this goes. I know what I want from it now, so I've already got that going. :)

Dad says yes

Opening remarks