I remember very specifically when I played video games for the first time. It was 1990, I was 8 years old and at my friend, Jenny’s house where her brother was playing Mario 1 and Duck Hunt in the basement. That was back when the whole neighborhood would show up randomly to hang out without knocking, making sure to grab a snack on their way downstairs. What started with a few kids playing became 10 excited friends taking turns and cheering while they waited for someone else to “die”. Seemingly simple challenges turned into a full day of strategy and healthy competition.
With 2 older brothers at home, video games were always around after that- Mario, Mortal Kombat, Zelda, Donkey Kong. A few arcade games lived upstairs too, like Space Invaders where we could hang out while waiting to play pool.
As products of the 80s, we can only motivate our kids to play games like we did, although to be honest, today’s games have surpassed my interest, progressing to a level of complication that no longer looks appealing (IMO). Although break out some Guitar Hero, Mario 3, or Tetris and I’m game.
What amazes me most now is how video games popular to the youngest generation requires social media to interact. It’s become necessary for players to remain at home instead of sneaking into each other’s basements. What was once a social activity has become an antisocial obsession where kids no longer go outside at all, but hoard themselves within bedrooms, closed off from the outside world.
Last week while at his friends house, Will called me to pick him up so he and Finn could play video games. It took my brain a moment to understand the request. While my generation would have preferred staying at a friend’s house until the end of time, kids now have to stay home in order to interact. This is the world we live in.
How can we get back to where we were, if it’s even possible. At this rate, kids will likely continue to move further away from playing outside and interacting in person until the only place they converse is via FaceTime. After all, schooling is already predominately online, even when they attend in person.
Our power went out for a number of hours recently. Coming out of the Covid 19 pandemic, my kids and I began to wonder if losing power globally might be the next mass crisis. Sadly, I believe that only something so severe would force the relief needed from this electronically prescribed lifestyle.
College students would no longer have online options to earn a degree, corporate employees would return to conference rooms, churches would no longer have the ability to live stream spiritual services, and kids would need to find an alternative means to socialize, perhaps resorting to play outside.
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