For someone who started video games with Atari Pong, then didn’t go much past Pac Man, it meant that my ego immediately took two mortal hits.
The first was to my self-image. I had to make an Avatar to personify me in the game of Boxing that she challenged me to. I had to choose from a selection of hair colors, facial features and clothing. I chose the features that I thought would represent me pretty accurately, only to have this strange figure named “Granddad” swagger into the ring to the squeals of my granddaughter.
The next, worse, hit was to my self-esteem. I was knocked down in the first few seconds of the first round, took a 6 count, got up again and was promptly knocked down again. As my grandaughter stood there hovering, face hot, red and glowing (ladies don’t sweat, right?) for the referee to count out my Avatar, she said: “Granddad, you fight like a girl! You have to swing your arms and punch and move your body.”
How was I to know? The electronic games I knew only required minimal finger movements to move a joystick or punch arrow keys.
“You fight like a girl!” Those were fighting words, so I got my Avatar up off the floor of the ring, swinging.
And soon as I got home I started looking at the ads for the Nintendo Wii. They are hot sellers, in short supply, so I had to scour the online and mortar and brick stores until I found one, bought it even though it wasn’t on sale, I, a guy who has been known to wait for months for items on his Wish List to go on sale before buying. I made sure it included that Boxing game. Cost what it may, I was going to practice and to show that eight year old grandaughter! My Avatar fight like a girl? Huh!
As I eagerly tore into the packaging I suddenly realized: Earlier that same day my wife and I had given away our tv set because we hardly watched it and had heard that it would be useless when tv broadcasting goes digital and HD in a few months.
So here I am, with a Wii but no tv, my Boxing skills all still boxed in the Game System package, losing time while my granddaughter hones her skills.
I think I’ll go borrow my neighbor’s tv set. Or get out the credit card and buy that 50 inch Plasma set and start training.
I used to think that those 50 inch screens in the stores represented “all that is wrong with American Society”. Now, I won't settle for anything smaller. Fifty inches! That will give me a bigger boxing ring for my Avatar to escape those punches my granddaughter throws.
So here I am with a Wii, but no tv, my Boxing skills all still boxed in the Game System package, losing time while my granddaughter hones her skills.
6 comments:
Louis, I can't stop laughing you have made my day. I love the picture of the Wii on the table.
I was thinking of getting one to start excising. Do you think it is worth it? xopxoxo to you both.
Yes, Sue, I think the Wii is worth getting. I never would have considered getting a video game system till I experienced this one.
Unlike traditional video games, the action on the screen is actually determined by the player's body movements, not just fingers on a joystick. So one gets a pretty good physical workout while playing.
By the way, this post is a true story, as humiliating as it was :)
Hi Louis
My 11 year old niece wants a PSP for her birthday this September. It's in her birthday wishlist (like the Ipod last year) and the father won't be too happy if I do get her one.
As a compromise, I promised to get her one if she does well in her studies at the end of the year. She's keeping her word to it. She emerged top of her class in the first quarter and seems like she will maintain the position until the year-end.
One PSP coming up!!!
Ha! Ha! Louis, There you goes with the grands. No way you could beat them in those games. I have no patience to join them for the game. They are too good for me. So I just give up from the start. Our twelve years grandson already into creating his own game.
One thing good about these kids though they are ever willing to teach grandpa. Just last week our youngest grandson decided to teach me and this is what he did. "Grandpa, first you have to right click, then you copy and then you paste to your site and you would get that Smiley done". You see he is in pre school and he is teaching his grandpa.
Well as for the game, I just give up and enjoy my blogging in cybersphere. Louis, go ahead and get that TV set and play around and the kid in you would help but I doubt you can beat your grandkids.
Have a nice day take care.
Hooray for your niece, Fauziah ! She has certainly risen to your challenge, and I am cheering her on.
She seems to have or be on the point of getting, all the gear a well-equipped youngster needs: brains, drive, an iPod, a PSP (soon). What's next on her list? iPhone :)?
It's not only in games that the grands beat us, Pak Idrus. I have often been tied in knots by their irrefutable logic. Haven't you?
Yes, I know I am doomed to lose in the Wii games, but at this point I just have to struggle to salvage whatever I can of my tattered pride :).
Agreed, this latest generation takes to the digital world like ducks to water, and yes, they do try to teach us, even if they probably feel we'll never get the hang of it.
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