Thursday, July 9, 2009

He Blogs/She Blogs: Stolen Cars, Alien Hordes & Quality Time

Chad a.k.a Captain Dumbass, the male

Achoo! Whew, gettin' a little dusty in here, sorry about that. What? Yes, rumours about my death have been greatly exaggerated. Give me an iPod, free wi-fi and a roll of duct tape and I'll kick Richard Dean Anderson's ASS! No, I still don't have a computer, but I didn't want to be accused of copping out again, so here I am. Besides, this weeks topic is close to my heart. Or carpal tunnel enlarged wrists and thumbs. Video games! Time well wasted.

The brilliance of Japanese video game marketing is, in my opinion, only slightly behind early Christian's decision to promote their new religion to woman and slaves first in the Roman Empire and George Lucas producing the last three episodes of Star Wars before the first three. I was 11 years old in 1981 when Nintendo first hit North America and 13 when an Atari console made its way into my home. Hooked. From begging my parents for new games to trying to convince my new bride that an Xbox would help us save money by keeping me at home and finally, to giving in to my own childrens demands for the latest Lego game for the Wii, it's been a long ride. The first hit wasn't free, but I took it anyway, and I'm still using. Brilliance.

Now, not only can I play video games whenever I want and afford to buy them myself, but I can use the kids as an excuse. "But it will make them happy." "It will help with their motor skills." And they beg me to play with them! Sure it's not all fun and games, I learned the hard way that Grand Theft Auto is not the best game to play with your sponge-like young children. Or that no matter how many times you tell them that when Daddy plays Halo it's our little secret they'll still rat you out. Then there's the down times when controllers are taken away for bad behavior (kids) and everyone suffers. You learn your lessons and move on.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go give my youngest some lessons in problem solving, religious studies and early 20th century history. Or Lego Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Heh heh heh.

Petra aka The Wise Young Mommy: The Female

Yes, I know, I am late.

I was up really late last night trying to defeat flood on Halo 3...

Just kidding. I don't even know what that means. I just had another rough night last night with my 3-year-old who has decided to boycott sleeping, so I totally forgot to hunker down and write this post. So yes, again, I suck. Sorry. So video games, yeah...

I had an Atari and I loved Pong. I also got hooked on Mario Bros on the original Nintendo. And now we have a Wii and I use it for the Wii Fit games. But that is about as far as my love for video games goes. I think it's pretty much a big waste of time if it's done in excess, especially for those grown men who spend all their free time in front of the computer screen or XBox, whilst ignoring their families. A hobby is a hobby, and to each their own, but when your fellow players in World of Warcraft see you more than your wife and kids, I think there is a problem.

Unfortunately, my 9-year-old would surgically attach his Nintendo DS to his right hand and the controller for his Playstation to his left hand if it was allowed, and I have to admit that I let him play them too much, but it's just too hard to fight his nature. He is not a sports kind of kid, he is not an outdoorsy type of kid. He loves video games. And although I try my damndest to keep him from doing it all day every day, I am also not going to make him miserable by taking them away and making him do things he doesn't like to do. No, I will not allow him to hole himself up in his room with his video games, but if he disappears for a couple hours, that's OK. And then I will urge him to go outside or we will go find something fun to do for the rest of the day. I think that's a fair compromise, don't you think?

I am lucky because my husband has never been a big gamer, so it has not been an issue between us. He will play the Wii or Playstation with my son here and there and I love that, because they are doing something fun together. I'm not unreasonable.

But, I swear, if my husband ever turns down sex because he is close to levelling up in World of Warcraft, all bets are off.

35 comments:

  1. Um, where is the she?

    "He Blogs, She, um, she, um"

    Am I too early or something?

    All I can say is that I was a gamer. "Stoneskin" was my gaming name. Oh the glory days of playing C&C all night long, GTA the original, or even going way back Sensible Soccer. But now? No time, no time at all.

    Anyway, off to play Civ2 for the rest of my lunch break so tara...

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  2. ACK you take the controllers away from yourself too? oh you are not adding to the effect, watching "others" have fun while you are not allowed to have fun it part of the required punishment. well atleast until after they go to bed. BTW you forgot about playing Vic 20 games. :)

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  3. I encourage video games. They give me a minute of peace to cook dinner in the evenings...well unless KiKi decides that she must play. Then all bets are off.

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  4. We are so coveting a Wii right now! Just not in the cards I fear. I've never been a huge gamer, but I think I would like that stuff. And we will so be getting the Lego game! (Once we actually get a Wii that is...)

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  5. Video games rule! but where is she? talking about warcraft douchebags etc, id like to hear that!

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  6. OK guys, sorry I was late. You can throw tomatoes at me. But it's there now.

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  7. My ex-husband was a gamer and it didn't bother me too bad (because I liked to play as well) but I pitched an HUGE hissy when he refused to take out the smelly trash one night because he was playing. My HUGELY 2 days overdue pregnant self had to take out the trash because his lazy ass was "too busy" playing games.

    That did it for me. That and the Gameboy he got me for my birthday that year.

    Yeah, he's an ass. That's why he's an ex.

    I let LOML have a DS. We're getting ready to upgrade to the new one.

    Oddly enough, it's my mom that plays the DS more than anyone else! She loves JewelQuest and plays it A LOT!

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  8. I am the gamer in this house. I have to curb it though because I easily become addicted.

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  9. I actually read a study last year that said that had to do with the newer surgeries, the ones where the surgeon uses a video screen and the tools are tiny, with little cameras. Sorry, not sure what they are called. At any rate, male resident surgeons are much more dextrous and better at this type of surgery due to the gaming habits of their youth...

    On the other hand, as a high school teacher, I have had students failing because they never do their work and are always sleepy. Turns out some of them are totally addicted to gaming all night when their parents think they are sleeping.

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  10. Petra a.k.a The Wise (*Young*) Mommy: What's up with the sex comment, LOL! When's the last time you and captain dumbass had sex, LOL!

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  11. "Anonymous" - I have never had sex with Captain Dumbass...notice how I said "my HUSBAND?" because I was referring to MY HUSBAND?

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  12. Petra a.k.a The Wise (*Young*) Mommy: What? Are you cheating on your husband then? LOL! Who the hell is captain dumbass, LOL! Why isn't this blog with your husband, LOL!

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  13. "Anonymous" - apparently you have never read this blog and you don't understand the concept of it. My husband doesn't blog, that is why this blog is not with him. This blog is just about two bloggers, one male and one female, who write about the same topic to compare and contrast the male/female points of view.

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  14. I have never seen the long term appeal of video games, but then again the few I've tried I SUCK at. And my husband doesn't play them at all, so for now, we have a video game free house. Though I can see the appeal in a Wii fit as the kids get older. My opinion is that like any in MODERATION it probably won't kill you. Life is about balance, right?

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  15. Moonspun - exactly! I agree 100%, balance is what it is all about.

    But those darn video games can be quite addicting...

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  16. Petra a.k.a The Wise (*Young*) Mommy: Oh I see. My bad, LOL!

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  17. John's a WoW'er. I allow it. I just ignore it. Ignorance makes me happy.

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  18. SK - but I am sure that John doesn't ignore you and Sprite constantly and shirk his responsibilities because of it, right? In that case, it is a HOBBY, not an obsession, and in my opinion, totally acceptable :)

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  19. Hey! I stole a real computer and can comment! Woot! I never bothered trying WoW. I know it's addictive powers and just don't have time for it.

    When did we pick up a troll?

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  20. When a woman says she's late, I get nervous........

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  21. My ex should have been the one on the Wii or DS all the time but nope that was me. A girl kicking ass and taking names whilst he cooked dinner for me! Loved it! lol

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  22. Vodka Mom - Not THAT kind of late...thank GOODNESS!

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  23. Hey guys! Speaking of tardiness--great move making he blogs/she blogs a blog.

    All I can think of right now is how many hours I drain out of my life blogging. Sure I write. Yes it's creative. Yes I'm building relationships. But how much does this sound like the "honing gross motor skills and problem solving" defense?

    (cringe)

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  24. balance..as long as there is balance I think there is some value in ALMOST, not quite, but almost everything!!

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  25. Captain - I just realized your age over me and that is scary!!! 11 in 1981? I wasn't even a blimp on the imagination of my mom's brain. Yeah you are a good 13 years older than me and some of my kids are older than yours - scary!!! But as far as the video games go, yeah, we use them as an excuse for the "kids" Gotta love that Doneky Kong on the Wii though.

    Petra - I actually got the Wii Fit and I suck at it! The only one that I have been able to do right was the tightrope walking one. Sad that I suck at fitness huh? Also, so glad that the late Vodka mom was talking about is not the same late you were talking about. That one made me choke on my coffee!!! LOL

    Both: My husband is obsessed with his XBox and yes, I said HIS but it does not replace me and if it did, those wireless remotes would find themselves deep in puppy business...

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  26. The last time I played video games, my 25 year old daughter was 5 and got a new Nintendo for her birthday. It was Super Mario Brothers. I used up all my husband's lives trying to beat the damned game. (he never should have taken that phone call and let me have the joystick!)

    John (not the husband... he's in another state pretending to be young) has his orignal Atari and it still works! And he still plays games on it! He left it to me in his will, along with his 12 year old car.

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  27. I would never turn down sex to play a video game. After we do it and the wife goes to sleep, I can resume the game.

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  28. I appriciate the skills of your blog writing and the time sharing with us.
    I recently came across your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I don't know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog. I will keep visiting this blog very often.

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  29. The video game topic in BIG in my house. Neither my mom or my dad are sporty people, but they both grew up in Cuba where kids played outside ALL DAY. My brother is also not very sports-like. He loves video games and would probably fight your son in line to be first for that surgery. We all hate to see him spend all day in front of a bright screen and a pointless game and he loves them so much he gets really upset being told to stop. He also has little else to do (our fault) SO we put him in swimming lessons.

    He bitched endlessly about summer being relaxing time not time for more work. We told him he either took the eight classes or he had no video games. Now he loves swimming (what kid doesn't like playing in a pool) AND he gets his video game time too.

    Took some work but we got it to work. Now the deal is going to be once school starts, getting him to take some after school activity too. Eek. I'll think about that when the time comes I guess.

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  30. I'm with Petra on this one. I used to love playing Mario Bros on Nintendo when I was little... put a controller in front of me from PlayStation, XBox or the like, and I'm screwed. I'm starting to sound like my mother!

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  31. My husband is anti-video game. I could care less either way. So, my girls didn't have video games growing up. They still tell us how they were deprived. They would play them at other people's houses, but never got addicted. They didn't get the chance.
    The Wii thing seems very interesting. I could get into Wii Fit.
    Sex vs video games? I don't think this should even be a question.

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