I openly admit (on a regular basis) that I am a child. I LOVE video games. My house would be cleaner, my yard would look better if I didn’t spend a certain part of my free time on video games. However, today is VIDEO GAME DAY! So let’s pump the brakes on adulting and celebrate video games for today… maybe longer. 🙂
Video games are a part of our culture for decades now. Who hasn’t played Pac-Man in the arcade or on a home system? Our first home videogame system was the Odyssey. It came out the year before Atari. My sister and I were THRILLED when we got it for Christmas. In that time frame, being able to play bowling in all its 8 Bit glory was enough for hours of fun. Sadly, the next year produced Atari which made the Odessy the Beta-tape to Atari’s VHS. We never owned an Atari. I’d play it at my friend’s house, but my turn on Burger Time lasted 2 seconds and hers lasted 20 minutes, so I never got too good at Burger Time.
I HAD to have a PS2… you know for my daughter, Mackenzie. She was four when it came out, but it was totally for her. LOL… ok, a little bit me. Still, we played a ton of games together. Two of my favorites, Scooby-Doo Night of 100 Frights and the Sly Cooper series. They are both awesome games for kids.
Video Games I Currently Play
Back in 2016, Niantic launched Pokemon Go. Six years later, I still play with my daughter and my sister, Mary. My son, Jake used to play, but these days, he’s patchy at best. Pokemon Go is one of the best apps out there for encouraging the exploration of your community and interaction with others. We love it, obviously. I posted a pic of my Gyarados with my face air freshener in my car. SO FUNNY! Did I mention that I am a child?
Most recently, we went to the arcade when we were in Texas visiting my sister, Mary. They have a really nice movie theater/arcade combo. It’s not easy to find activities for a 22-year-old female and 12-year-old male to BOTH want to do, but video games are on the shortlist.
This past Friday, Nintendo released a new version of my favorite game, Splatoon. I played the hell out of the first two and Splatoon 3 is the most complex and best of them all, in my opinion. Splatoon 3 has multiplayer options, story mode, and more. It offers tons of character and gear personalization. I actually made my first TikTok video in honor of Splatoon 3. It’s… not good, but ya know. The Splatoon series revolves around “Inklings.” They are squids whose job it is to paint stuff. Turf wars and similar games depend on who paints the most. My favorite part of the Splatoon experience is Grizzco. You work together in a game of four (live players) to try and defeat their monsters and meet the egg quota. The monsters had different ways to be destroyed. When you destroy them, they leave behind three eggs. Get the eggs to the basket before the timer runs out and don’t let your whole team get wiped out or it’s game over. Check back soon and I’ll post a video of the in-game play. It will make more sense. In the meantime, enjoy a couple of pieces from my video game scrapbook.