Blog Banter: Memoirs of a Young Gamer

Blog Banter is a group of bloggers passionate about video games. We enjoy getting together once a month to write about the same subject. You will be amazed at the different viewpoints so many people can have on the same exact topic. If you are interested in participating, contact bs angel for more information. Enjoy our stories!

My earliest recollection of playing a video game hearkens back to the bygone days of Pong. Marking a simpler time there were no high definition graphics, no Dolby 5.1 surround sound, and there was no online multi-player. Games of that day and era required a suspension of belief on the part of those of us old enough to remember it. Pong was nothing more than a simple line that moved vertically and a square blob for the ball and for us that was enough. What kept us so transfixed to that console that played only one game was that not only was it a new technology, but it was also a way to pass a rainy Saturday when the lure of Tinker Toys or Legos wasn't strong enough to hold our attention.

But Pong wasn't only for us. Many of our parents were barely into their 20s when they had us, and as such they too were lured to the latest and greatest in home entertainment. They sat on the shag carpet next to us, twisting the other knob, and blissfully whiled away the hazy afternoons of the late 70s and early 80s. As we grew up and and our parents grew older the consoles and graphics many have evolved, but many of our parents didn't see video games as anything more than something for the kids. We cut our teeth on the Atari 2600 while our parents worked so diligently to provide for their families and by proxy kept us in a steady supply of plastic cartridges.

When Nintendo released the NES there was a temporary resurgence in the popularity of video games for our parents. Maybe it was just an attempt to connect to their children, but many families saw evenings huddled around the little white box. Dad would take aim with the Zapper while mom would change the direction of the ducks with the other controller and everyone would roar in laughter once dad tried to unload rounds into that damn dog. But the NES's time as a family bonding device was fleeting and soon video games were once again the realm of kids and teenagers.

So it was remarkable to me the first time that my parents came over after I got my Wii. They watched as I showed them how to play Wii Sports and after placing the Wiimote in their hand, they were hooked. They were once again transported to those days gone by when video games were still exciting and new. This was a platform that they could understand and appreciate. There was nothing complex about it. It is a platform that hearkens back to those simpler days and simpler times.

And there it is, my earliest memory of video games comes full circle to something more recent. What went from my parents to me in Pong, I have returned from myself to them in the Wii. And I'm sure that should my interest ever waiver (which isn't likely) my children will one day be in this same position of recollection.

Other Blog Banter Articles :

• Boffman22's Memorable Gaming Moments (Boom Stick Brigade)
  
• I love you Intellivision! (Boom Stick Brigade)
  
• Just how much fun LAN can be! (Cat's Blog)
  
• Memorable Gaming Moments (Hawty McBloggy)
  
• To Memory Lane and Back (Play Your Station)
  
• Hit the Reset Button (Thoughts and Rants)
  
• Memorable Gaming Moments (Zath Games Tech)
  
• Becoming an Ace and Dealing With Minsc (Delayed Responsibility)
  
• Old School, Middle School, New School (lukeshep.com)