Videogames and Parenthood

As a gamer in her early twenties, the idea of marriage and parenthood pops up in my head from time to time. Despite my current oh-so-complicated relationship status with a non-gamer, I can somehow see my old self playing videogames with my kid sometime in the future.

I know that parents are usually strict with their kids' liesurely activities because of school. If you were to ask me though, as long as my kids do their homework on time and their grades are at least better than okay, they're free to play games as long as they want. Want to know the reason why?

The person who got me into videogames was my old man. He once owned an Atari 2600 and eventually sold it (oh no! why'd you do that!??!?) but he still has some of the old cartridges at home. When I was about 5, he bought me a Sega Megadrive II, afterwards a Game Gear, a Nintendo Gameboy and eventually, the legendary Sony PlayStation. He was actually very strict when it comes to playing hours and such but he would sometimes bend his own rules whenever he wants to borrow my PSOne and play. I remember he was so addicted to Gran Turismo, Parasite Eve and Einhänder, he would oftentimes find himself scolded by his own daughter for playing too long.

Believe it or not, Videogames did help me a lot when it comes to academics. Some games helped in widening my vocabulary, some made me learn more about mythology (thanks, Valkyrie Profile!) and some enriched my general knowledge through facts and trivia. My hand-eye coordination also improved a great lot! Who says videogames are bad for you?

I'm not saying that future parents should try and follow this example. How you plan to raise your kid would still depend on you but as for me, I want my children to experience the exciting world of gaming and reap its unexpected benefits. As long as they play responsibly, play games that are appropriate for their age, maintain a healthy social life and keep their grades up, everything will be A-okay.