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[Wibblewozzer]

I know you talked about doing this on a schedule, like move to the next generation every few months. This is a decent idea but I've put thought into how I'd handle this same situation for the past decade and think I've got it figured out.

For some quick background I was always a student in the accelerated programs in school and they did a decent job at times making sure I moved ahead at a decent pace but having to fit a strict schedule might not be the right way to do it. But a harsh regimen is still the best idea to keep.

Instead think of is a quest log. Start on the NES, for example. Pick ten to twenty games you feel are necessary to experience. Sample the genres. Now instead of saying that child of yours must play for three months on that system have it so they just need to complete a set number of games on the list before they can move on to the next generation. Or give point values to a list of titles and maybe they need to hit a total number of points with longer/harder games giving more and something simpler giving fewer.

And take this even further. Think of sub-goals within those selected titles and reward for that. First time they find a warp pipe? They get dinner that night. Food can be a fantastic motivator!

It's all about the meta game around their gaming. Work on that and I think you'll figure out the perfect way to get your child to appreciate games of every generation. My main point is that allowing them to go at their own pace they may push themselves harder to excel instead of growing bored and tired of the same routine. Give them something to work for instead of them knowing they'll be pushed to the next generation even if they failed on their current generation of gaming.

 

[Nuclear Muffin]

Let him play it first, but don't force him. If he wants to play the newer games (or do anything else that is not playing video games for that matter!) let him.

What better way for him to appreciate classic games then by letting him play them alongside the newer games? (Hell, the Wii VC makes that even easier since you use the same controller as you do with the newer games!)

It would be pretty awesome if you let him play Super Mario Bros on the NES VC and then play through NSMB Wii together!

 

[Stahsky]

People need to understand that Oatmeal was laying the sippycup down on those mad Mario beats at the age of 2. Bow tie and all.


He just wants his child to be as awesome as he was.

 

[Roxas]

First rule of parenting, don't "make" your child do anything.

 

[Vormund]

Well firstly it should be a shared experience. I would just take him though a history of video games like you would teach someone. It can be done over a few months.

Sort of like: "this is what I played when I was a kid etc" "I found this part difficult etc"

 

[whatevermort]

2? Jesus christ. I started playing games when I was 5ish, and that was on a spectrum. NES wasn't until I was 7. I hate people who judge others on how they raise their kids, but apparently I'm going to be one of them right now. Get him shitloads of books instead, teach him how to read early. Take him outside and play games with him. Get him drawing and writing little stories and playing with proper toys - the formulation of your own stories with toys is a key part of developing an imagination in a child. When he takes a natural interest in the games you play, then give him a NES or whatever. But 2? That's insane.

 

[Wazzim]

Feed him Gears instead. Oh and keep him off the JRPGs, we don't want him to get sick.

 

[FoxSpirit]

My parents promised I'd get a console when I turn eleven. Had to wait until I was 14. Felt cheated :-\
At least I had a Gameboy and my first bough game was Gargoyles Quest. Good times.

I can see the ops agenda but don't force it. That said, my child's first game would be Super Mario World. He can go from there. I'll probably still feel sad once he gets into the modern rage called FPSes. Not much I can do about it though.

 

[To Far Away Times]

I was given some money to help a neighbor out and get a video game system and a game for their 5 year old. Walked out of the game store with a Gamecube and Sonic Mega Collection. I shed a manly tear.

 

[Nuclear Muffin]

2? Jesus christ. I started playing games when I was 5ish, and that was on a spectrum. NES wasn't until I was 7. I hate people who judge others on how they raise their kids, but apparently I'm going to be one of them right now. Get him shitloads of books instead, teach him how to read early. Take him outside and play games with him. Get him drawing and writing little stories and playing with proper toys - the formulation of your own stories with toys is a key part of developing an imagination in a child. When he takes a natural interest in the games you play, then give him a NES or whatever. But 2? That's insane.

Yeah true, if there's one thing that you should encourage him to do is to read, write, draw and play creatively. Don't force your own hobbies and eccentricities upon your kids, but do encourage them to pick up basic literary and creative skills (both together with you and by themselves)

That being said, there's nothing wrong with introducing them to things you like, just don't force it upon them.

 

[Corky]

I'm only going to buy my E.T for the atari for my kid and forbid him to play anything else. Then after 15 years of E.T, my son will appreciate gaming. Or stab me in the eyes while I sleep...

 

[Cipherr]

No one said force.



I'm talking about when he's 2-3ish. If he shows interest, let him play the classic stuff first.

Golly, you people (what do you mean you people?) are taking this out of context and adding your own twist to it.

Mine's a harmless adventure for a young child, yours is turning him into a shut in who has no friends.

Goddam.

Still no, its just weird. Had an aunt that always tried to make me and my cousins watch Shirley Temple and 3 Stooges shit all the damn time. We didn't want to watch that crap. And now that I look back, Ill bet she did it because she felt the stuff that she watched when she was younger was better than any and everything new at the time.

Go yell at a cloud and leave everyone else alone. srsly.

 

[lastendconductor]

Yeah, no. Better take him out to the park so he can play with other kids and shit like that.
2 year old kid in front of a screen destroying his eyesight interacting with 2D fictional people, it's going to turn out great. It's going to be awesome later in life when you find out your daughter-in-law is Nene from LovePlus.
Leave the game systems packed in the basement, he'll find them in due ime and play them if he feels like it. It's his life, don't force shit on him (except studying and sports, of course).

 

[#1 defender]

The original post reminded me of this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAOjTj0D5y0

With that said, my 11 year old nephew mostly plays current gen games, because those are most readily avaliable to him, but he doesn't discriminate between games from different generations. Through the years he also played a lot of old games on emulators (Atari, NES, SNES and N64 games, among others). He doesn't mind "old" graphics, as long as the gameplay is fun. Last year i found my old Genesis on the attic and wanted to show him some games i played when i was a kid. He was actually excited and wanted to play when i started them up. Too bad my old controllers are pretty busted and we didn't get to play much. He still liked what he saw though.

Anyway, as someone has stated previously, i think if you expose kids to old games without being pushy about it, they will gravitate towards good/fun games no matter which gen they are from.

 

[thebeeks]

Our family was pretty poor growing up, we didn't get a SNES until Christmas '97. Until then we had a 2600 and a NES that my father had bought for cheap.

Your kid will get made fun of, just keep that in mind. Some of his peers might dig the old, clunky machines and their graphics when they come over to play, but most will look at him like he's from mars because he hasn't played Popular Game X.

I'd suggest a nice mix of old and new consoles, personally. I mean, yeah, growing up like this gave me a deep respect for the Atari and NES and they're still hooked up to this day, but I had absolutely nothing in common with my gaming friends. They would have long conversations about Starcraft and Fallout, and the only thing I could bring to the conversation was anecdotes about Marble Madness.

 

[oatmeal]

People need to understand that Oatmeal was laying the sippycup down on those mad Mario beats at the age of 2. Bow tie and all.


He just wants his child to be as awesome as he was.

Fuck yea.

First rule of parenting, don't "make" your child do anything.

Never said I was going to 'make' him do anything.

But 2? That's insane.

No it's not.

I can see the ops agenda but don't force it.

Never said force.

Don't force

Never said force.

Still no, its just weird. Had an aunt that always tried to make me and my cousins watch Shirley Temple and 3 Stooges shit all the damn time.

Is anyone even reading the thread?

Yeah, no. Better take him out to the park so he can play with other kids and shit like that.

Impossible to do both. One or the other. I choose Nintendo.

Your kid will get made fun of, just keep that in mind.

I hope he doesn't hang around with the types of 2 year olds that make fun of other 2 year olds. Those ones will likely end up being failures in life.

--

Thanks for reading the thread guys.

 

[AcceptableGhost]

Yeah, no. Better take him out to the park so he can play with other kids and shit like that.
2 year old kid in front of a screen destroying his eyesight interacting with 2D fictional people, it's going to turn out great. It's going to be awesome later in life when you find out your daughter-in-law is Nene from LovePlus.
Leave the game systems packed in the basement, he'll find them in due ime and play them if he feels like it. It's his life, don't force shit on him (except studying and sports, of course).

Sports are worthless. I am beyond glad I never got forced into sports.

 

[snoopeasystreet]

I want to bring my kid up on a wheel and a stick.

 

[xxracerxx]

I hope he doesn't hang around with the types of 2 year olds that make fun of other 2 year olds. Those ones will likely end up being failures in life.

They don't stay two forever.

 

[Chittagong]

Here's a plan. Keep your kid completely from getting exposed to current videogames. When he is 5 he gets a NES with a 14" TV, grinds through TMNT, DuckTales, Bucky O'Hare and other NES classics for years. Finally when he turns 9 he gets a Super NES for birthday, and he thinks it's amazing, from a bigger 23" tube TV. But what he doesn't know is that behind the curtain there is a f'ing 65 inch plasma TV running Gears of War 3 with a full surround system hooked up, taking him 20 years to the future in an eyeblink. He will be shitting his pants!

 

[Zing]

There are an awful lot of "armchair parents" here giving "advice".

 

[oatmeal]

They don't stay two forever.

You sure about that?

What if I stunt his growth with drugs and/or Diet soda? And rigorous weight lifting?

Here's a plan. Keep your kid completely from getting exposed to current videogames. When he is 5 he gets a NES with a 14" TV, grinds through TMNT, DuckTales, Bucky O'Hare and other NES classics for years. Finally when he turns 9 he gets a Super NES for birthday, and he thinks it's amazing, from a bigger 23" tube TV. But what he doesn't know is that behind the curtain there is a f'ing 65 inch plasma TV running Gears of War 3 with a full surround system hooked up, taking him 20 years to the future in an eyeblink. He will be shitting his pants!

That's what I'm talking about.

 

[Para bailar La Bomba]

I don't want him only to play them. But gradually introduce the next system. Phase them in every 3 months or so. It would be like a year to two year experiment.

Two isn't too young.

Check me out at two:

www.murphman-studios.com/movies/nintendo.mov

Beasting at Mario.

I never knew Nintendo released an NES gamepad withe SIXAXIS support.

 

[oatmeal]

I never knew Nintendo released an NES gamepad withe SIXAXIS support.

Also shipped with a customizable bow-tie.

 

[Dark Octave]

Here's a plan. Keep your kid completely from getting exposed to current videogames. When he is 5 he gets a NES with a 14" TV, grinds through TMNT, DuckTales, Bucky O'Hare and other NES classics for years. Finally when he turns 9 he gets a Super NES for birthday, and he thinks it's amazing, from a bigger 23" tube TV. But what he doesn't know is that behind the curtain there is a f'ing 65 inch plasma TV running Gears of War 3 with a full surround system hooked up, taking him 20 years to the future in an eyeblink. He will be shitting his pants!

I would have went into a coma. I remember being in shock from Mortal Kombat back then. Couldn't believe what I was seeing from both the violence and the realistic images.

 

[Extra Sauce]

I don't know about that, man. Sounds a little Amishey.

 

[oatmeal]

I don't know about that, man. Sounds a little Amishey.

Oh, I forgot to mention that I am Amish.

 

[Aaron Strife]

These kinds of remarks are absolutely baffling and show a real cognitive disconnect, making me wonder if some people ever actually attained an education at all.

Video games, if you were going to liken them to anything, is akin to literature, music, and art.

No one can deny that our education systems (provided you weren't home-schooled, and even then I would imagine it'd be even MORE heavily weighted) to have a knowledge and understanding of the classics. We studied Tess of the d'Urbervilles and The Odyseey to appreciate literature and poetry. We studied Picasso and Munch to appreciate paintings. We studied British rock and American blue grass to appreciate music.

Video games, despite their modern cultural impact, have not been brought into the educational fold to a great extend because of their relative newness as well as all the stigmas that surround them in our puritan-derived society.

I think it's a great idea to have your kid play these games. In fact, I'd tie it in with a reward system my parents used. For every significant literature classic I read and wrote a 1 page book report for, they bought me a video game. You can do the same thing for your kid. Play through Chrono Trigger and write a 1 page report (that way you're not just teaching gaming, you're pushing writing skills and critical thought) and he can get a modern RPG.

Like others have said, don't make it an issue of force. Instead, tie it to a reward system that promotes education.

Good luck!

That reminds me of something a friend of mine told me - when he was younger, whenever a new Disney movie came out, his parents would only let him see the movie if he read the original source material it was based on (Hunchback, for instance).

Definitely thought it was a good idea and prob something I'd have my kids do. Or I'd at least read to them something like Harry Potter.

 

[twinturbo2]

Grab a Wii if you don't have one and introduce him to the best stuff on the Virtual Console. Problem solved.

 

[davepoobond]

for what reason? no one only shows movies from the 1930s to their children and work their way up from those years.

if he ends up caring about gaming he will work his way backward.

 

[freddy]

I hope the boys mother has some thicker skin than you or the boy will grow up a dick as well.

 

[oatmeal]

Grab a Wii if you don't have one and introduce him to the best stuff on the Virtual Console. Problem solved.

Not the same.

Sideways Wiimote < NES Controller

for what reason? no one only shows movies from the 1930s to their children and work their way up from those years.

if he ends up caring about gaming he will work his way backward.

To show that I have absolute control, obviously.

I hope the boys mother has some thicker skin than you or the boy will grow up a dick as well.

There is no mother.

She ran off.

 

[Mailenstein]

NES + Double Dragon III. If he can beat it in one week alone, he is ready for anything else.

 

[tino]

Ridiculous father.

 

[oatmeal]

Ridiculous father.

Seriously.

 

[Prime Blue]

There is about a gazillion better things to worry about concerning an unborn child.

 

[oatmeal]

There is about a gazillion better things to worry about concerning an unborn child.

I don't know about that.

 

[Zing]

Check me out at two:

www.murphman-studios.com/movies/nintendo.mov

Beasting at Mario.

The title of that video is false. It says "first nintendo experience".

 

[TekDragon]

There is about a gazillion better things to worry about concerning an unborn child.

Yeah, but most of that is stuff you're not going to be able to predict.

An understanding and appreciation of literary, musical, artistic, and software entertainment classics is something we can plan for.

 

[Dippindork]

i'd wait until he's old enough to appreciate retro gaming.

 

[entremet]

So many terrible, self righteous responses in this thread. Your parents never introduced to their passions? Yes, not all of them stick, but I'm glad my parents introduced to reading for pleasure.

 

[BocoDragon]

I'm not gonna let my kids touch my NES and SNES.. Kids hands are probably all covered with mud and cookies

 

[oatmeal]

The title of that video is false. It says "first nintendo experience".

Could have been. That was the Christmas we got it. But I think that was Christmas Night...so it would have been a day full of playing, I'm assuming.

So many terrible, self righteous responses in this thread. Your parents never introduced to their passions? Yes, not all of them stick, but I'm glad my parents introduced to reading for pleasure.

I would never be as good at arithmetic if my father hadn't forced it on me at a young age.

 

[xelios]

Good luck.

 

[HYDE]

2? Jesus christ. I started playing games when I was 5ish, and that was on a spectrum. NES wasn't until I was 7. I hate people who judge others on how they raise their kids, but apparently I'm going to be one of them right now. Get him shitloads of books instead, teach him how to read early. Take him outside and play games with him. Get him drawing and writing little stories and playing with proper toys - the formulation of your own stories with toys is a key part of developing an imagination in a child. When he takes a natural interest in the games you play, then give him a NES or whatever. But 2? That's insane.

I have a son who plays games actively since a year old, and he is at a 5th grade reading level in the 2nd grade. Your post just lost all relevance.

 

[Slime]

You'd probably have to go all Ben Linus to keep him from demanding a next-gen Xbox or a super powerful smartphone or super-powered gaming PC at a young in this day and age.

 

[oatmeal]

I have a son who plays games actively since a year old, and he is at a 5th grade reading level in the 2nd grade. Your post just lost all relevance.

But I bet you he's still a virgin.

 

[HYDE]

But I bet you he's still a virgin.

whatever... his unit is still bigger than yours. lol.

oh, and i hope it's not starting at that age these days.

 

[SuperAngelo64]

Your kid is going to be more interested in whatever you're playing by the time he's 4 or 5.

So even if he's been given some newer console to play with, if he catches you playing A Link to the Past he's going to show interest.

 

[HYDE]

I would never be as good at arithmetic if my father hadn't forced it on me at a young age.

So much wrong in this post, so much.

Gotcha back