My point of view has a gamer that became a parent.

Growing up with my family

In my case, I grew up playing different types of games, like: videogames, TCG and board games. Most of my videogames were from Nintendo consoles. Since a lot of Nintendo titles are made with family and friends in mind, those were my first ones. In the TCG area, I started with Yu-Gi-Oh!, then got into Pokémon, Magic The Gathering, Vanguard… And experiences a few others.

My father, was the one that got me into videogames. He got me some Nintendo games that he thought were easier for me to play, when I was small. He is one of many gamers that experienced the changes in video games, from arcades to consoles. Also, played some other games, like role playing games, D&D. Playing videogames, was one of many ways of spending time together, each time I went to his house.

In the other hand, my mom is not the gamer type. Still, she used to play board games with me before she started working second or third shifts. My mother never was against the idea of me playing videogames, cards or board games. She got me most of my videogames consoles, and games. Additionally, she also knew what to buy me, nothing too inappropriate for my age.

When my cousins came to the house, playing video games, board games or TCG, were some of our entertainments, and more if we couldn’t go out to the pool or the park downstairs.

Not everything was videogames or indoor games:

I ran a bike, played outside with other kids or with my imagination. Some things that involved using my imagination where:

• painting
• creating stories with dolls
• using the stairs on my grandpa’s house has a slide
• make tents with bed sheets
• “mixing potions”, with mom’s make up or lotions….

I did lots of other things than only video games, and maybe that’s why I missed big hit games at that time, because that wasn’t my full attention.

Between all this, I balanced things, maybe until I became a teen, that ended up playing more on online games, since I started to become a little more the not go out type. I still talked with a group of gamers through voice chatting programs. We even got to make a group meeting and go to the movies together, and we still have communication through social medias. Even if I played video games, I still had great grades on my school and college, and on both places I got to play with friends TCG (trading card games); would walk around just talking or even play soccer.

Like an adult…

Now on the part of liking games, specially video games and playing TCG, my partner and I, specially him, have gotten judged by other people, usually older ones, for playing TCG or video games while been adults, because they see us like immature. In my opinion, is better to share with others playing a game that makes me use my brain than going for a drink with the pals, or smoking and talking while inhaling all of that. Nothing personal if you do, I just don’t drink or smoke, and never have liked that or been curious about it.

Now that I am a mom, and while my kids grows up, their dad and I would like them to also like some of the games we like. Lots of those games, formed part of our childhood, and lots of them were also challenging. I would love to have the experience to share with them things that I really love or that they love. We still are going to support them on what they love and look for ways to share together. We hope that in the future, they can say: “My parents are great because they used to play games with me, but I still did other things, which I also enjoyed. They were there for me.”