One of the things I love most about RF Generation is the great diversity of members that I get to converse with on our forums.  Our members vary in gender, age, ethnicity, nationality, social beliefs, and especially in their game system/developer preference.  Even so, our community has always been the kind where difference of opinion is accepted and embraced, and is even used as a means for looking at video gaming in general in a different light.  As an older member of the site, I've always felt right at home reminiscing about classics with the rest of the "geezers" (like Duke, who is much older than me) and having great conversations with younger members regarding their gaming history.  Though many of us differ in age, there is one thing that many of us have in common.......kids.

At this point in my life, I have two young kids, ages four (a boy) and seven (a girl). Like some of you, I've always had this dream of sharing my collection with my kids and playing alongside them through the same games I grew up on.  Though some of you may not be at this point in your lives yet, but may be considering having kids, you've probably at least had the same thought at some point.  I'm by no means the perfect parent, and when it comes to getting my kids involved in gaming, I've had my share of failures and successes.  However, my kids have really gotten into gaming recently and are begging me every night to go up to the gameroom.  Honestly, it's f@*king awesome!  So, in the course of coming up with an article for the front page, I decided that reflecting on what methods in getting my kids interested in gaming worked for me, as well as what I could have done better to peak their interest, might be a good topic. Below are a few observations that may be helpful if you want to get your kids to enjoy gaming:



1.  Create an Interest in Your Past - One of the things I love the most about being a parent is sharing different parts of my childhood with my kids. And let's face it, those who know me well, know that I'm really just a big kid. People who come over are immediately and unavoidably introduced to tokens from my past, whether it be video games, pinball, vinyl records, toys, movies, etc.  Sure, some of our more uptight "adult" friends find this stuff useless, but I always find something that sparks their nostalgia that we can talk about.  One things for sure, my home is a fun place for everyone and has even been described as "The Neverland Ranch without all the funny touching" (still not sure how I feel about this).....but I digress.

While I share my hobbies and interests with my friends, the people I share them with the most are my kids. From a young age, I've feed my kids all of the old cartoons and books I enjoyed when I was young. Not only has this been super fun for the geek in me, but it fills me with a lot of joy seeing them appreciate the stuff I really like. We have fun talking about these books and shows, and it's a great way for us to spend time together. In turn, sparking an interest in shows like DuckTales, Rescue Rangers, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Robocop (no, they have not seen the movie yet, just my movie poster and pinball machine), etc., has resulted in them wanting to play the video games. Sure, some of the games are tough and some are not so good, but the interest is there and they have a lot of fun playing something that is at least recognizable.


2. Start Early - I don't have the answer as to when the best time is to get your kid(s) interested in gaming, but it helps for them to see you gaming at an early age.  As some of you other parents might have noticed, the ole "electric babysitter" is a powerful tool. Now, I'm not advocating propping your kid in front of the TV and letting them mindlessly watch you play video games for hours, but helping them make the correlation between the television and what is going on with your hands, is a fascinating concept for little ones.  "You see little Johnny, this button makes him jump, this button makes him talk to NPCs, and this button makes him decapitate Space Orcs with a chainsaw sword"...... okay, maybe a little too early for that last button, but you catch my drift. 

Though some of us may not consider cellular phone or tablet apps as "video games," some of them are great learning tools and create good hand and eye coordination with young kids. These apps act as simple gaming tutorials or gateway drugs (you know, whichever term you prefer....), which can enhance fundamentals for more advanced console gaming. My kids are no stranger to Angry Birds on their Mom's phone and certainly, introducing more primitive and kid-friendly systems, like the V-Tech, help educate and start them on the path toward more advanced gaming.
 
3.  Sit Aside "Special" Time - Now that my kids have discovered an interest in gaming, an important step that I have had to make is setting aside game time.  My son is already asking if we can "play games tonight" as soon as I pick him up from daycare every day. While I find this cute, endearing, and let's be honest, AWESOME, I understand that I have to set some sort of boundaries as a parent to balance gameplay and a healthy lifestyle.  We've set aside about 30-45 minutes a few nights a week for going up to the gameroom and playing together. Before game time, the kids have to eat a good dinner, take a bath, get dressed, and not give me a lot of problems along the way.  Item #4 is often easier said than done, but with video game bribing, I have less of an issue with this than I did before we instituted game play into our evening.

For me, this time is very special. It allows me to unwind from a hard day's work and my kids love spending time with me this way; the feeling is mutual. Just sitting back and watching them play, giving them hints, taking the controller and showing them how to do something, and ultimately, seeing them accomplish some small gaming goals (like beating SMB World 1-1), is fun and rewarding. I'm just as excited for them as they are for themselves and I love seeing that smile on their face or inducing a quick high-five. It may be surprising to know that I even learn things from them from time-to-time. They will often point out or notice things in games that I never slowed down to take in before; they continue to surprise me with how perceptive they are at such a young age. For me, this time is a great joy and more often than not, one of the best parts of my day.

4.  Put the "Stick" in Their Hand - Early on, my kids would trek up to the gameroom to see what I was doing and would just want to sit back and watch. On many occasions and depending on what I was playing, I would offer them the controller, but my daughter especially would shake her head and say that she just wanted to watch. I was okay with this at first, since she was very quizzical and we had some great conversations about whatever I was playing. However, over time I began to feel a little guilty and search for ways to get her more involved. I soon realized that I was asking her if she wanted to play something, but wasn't being inviting enough; I wasn't placing the controller in her hand.

I think a big part of life is taking leaps of faith and jumping into something new. Whether it be a new job, sports, video games, etc., one has to conquer that fear of the unknown. My daughter who is very sweet, soft-spoken, and loves her princesses, is secretly one of the most athletic and aggressive kids I've seen once her foot touches a sports field. And, like her father, she hates to fail.  Enter video games, a form of media that demands great hand and eye coordination and can be one of the most frustrating things on the planet. I soon realized that part of her reluctance to accept my offers to play was her fear of failure and knowing that this was something that she would not be initially good at.  She has seen me beat several games and had unknowingly set her personal expectations too high. As a means to combat this feeling, I decided to make an effort to choose games that were more introductory level or allowed us to co-op and "lose" together. Once I showed her that not finishing every game was okay and that I too had a tough time with games, she was more open and accepting of these more unimportant setbacks.   


5.  Mix It Up - As I alluded to in the last paragraph, one of the best ways to sell a game to a kid is by picking the right title for them to play.  Often, introductory games that require less hand and eye coordination are key. Not only that, but selecting the right game accessories and genres can be vital. One of the games that my kids love the most is Duck Hunt. They love shooting the light gun and because they can get right up on the TV and get good results, the game is longer and it helps to keep their attention. Though this seems simple, the limitation of 3 shots per screen also teaches them that they have to be patient and accurate. My daughter and I also have a lot of fun running on the Power Pad.....well.....she has fun. What I'm getting at is that mixing up not only the types of games you play (platformers, beat 'em ups, puzzles, etc.), but also offering them something besides a controller, peaks their interest and often keeps them from getting bored or frustrated. Their attention span is not the same as ours, but it will improve over time.

6.  Experiment and Find That Hook - When it comes to games they prefer, kids are as picky as we are. My initial thought was to start my daughter off with Super Mario Bros.; my reasons: it's straight forward (run & jump), the character is one they see all over the place, and it's a classic. What I underestimated was the game's difficulty for her age. Sure, I played the heck out of this game as a kid, but when I finally got my hands on a Nintendo, I was 8-9 years old. I had failed her with my game choice, but it was a good, initial experiment and I was clearly not lacking in "recipes."  I had to find that "hook," that game that was the perfect blend of subject matter and ease. For my kids, that game was Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time for the SNES.  Recognizable and beloved characters....check. A simple, two button action system....check. A game that we could play together....double check. Though beat 'em ups might not be the road you want to take your kids down at an early age, the animated violence in Turtles in Time isn't bad and it gives them the change to control the super heroes that they know and love so well. I'm not sure whether this game will work for your kids or not, but hey, it's a good enough excuse to have it in your collection, right?

7.  Choose Your Intro Systems Wisely - As I alluded to before, having a limited amount of button choices is the best way to get your kids into gaming. As a result, it's best to choose your starter system wisely. Even if your kids don't use all of the buttons on your XBox One controller, just the look of it can overwhelm them; the abundance of buttons can cause them frustration when they "mash" the wrong button and they get an alternate or unexpected result. On the flip side, starting kids off with a one-button system like a 2600 or O2 can also be a disaster. Early joysticks were very unresponsive and uncomfortable, and can especially be frustrating for first-timers. When introducing your kids to gaming, the best systems to use include the NES, SMS, Genesis, and SNES.  I realized that the SNES has 6 buttons if you include the shoulders, but many of the games on the system only make use of two. Though it seems like an easy concept, "simpler is better," getting too simple and introducing systems that have more unrecognizable graphics (I'm looking your way Atari and Intellivision) can be boring and incomprehensible for young kids.   

8.  Set Small & Realistic Goals - Even though it's early in their gaming history, I've already noticed that my daughter and son are two completely different types of gamers.  She is the perfectionist; she hates to lose a life and gets really angry if she has to start a level over (and this anger grows with every attempt).  My son is more aloof. He exclaims, "Ohhhhh, I died!!!," and then promptly hits the start button to play again. This continues until I make him go to bed.  Surprisingly, he was the first to throw a controller. I have no idea where he gets the is behavior from. *whistles*  In order to control my daugther's wrath and keep her interested in a game, I have to set small and realistic goals and always say something positive about her gameplay. I might say, "Okay, let's see if we can make that jump across the pit this time," or "Let's try to get that fire flower."  This is often followed by, "Well you made it a lot further than you did last time," or my favorite, "I think that Goomba was walking faster that time." It's okay to tell a little, white lie to your kids sometimes. How many of you still blame the "cheating game?"  Setting goals gives them something attainable to strive for. They're not going to be able to beat Super Mario Bros. at age 4, but you'll get a smile or high-five out of them when they make it over that pit.


9.  Include Everyone - I certainly can't speak for all of the kids out there, but in my family, my son is far more into gaming than my daughter. However, every time we go up to the gameroom, both of them are invited. Heck, I will even invite my wife to come up, though I know she would rather spend some quiet time away from us reading downstairs.  Hey, we all need a break! When I was growing up, gaming was communal; sure, I played alone a lot as a kid, staring at a 13" TV screen until the veins in my eyes throbbed at three in the morning, but I always had more fun when I was with friends or my very limited number of gaming family members. Spending this time together as a family is important and I never want either of my kids to feel left out. Besides, in some weird way, I look forward to them arguing over which games and systems they want when I'm too old to play and it's time for me to hang it up. That's the dream, isn't it? Well, that and a life-long love of video games.



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Special Footnote:

So I asked the guys from the Collectorcast what suggestions they might have to help your kids get into gaming, and here were their answers:

Duke: "My tip is to play the games that they are interested in. I have no interest in Skylanders or Minecraft, but it gets us together. Also, YouTube. Kids love YouTube, so find some gaming channels that you both enjoy. For my six-year old, the biggest thing is Minecraft. It made her very comfortable using a controller, and I think that is a huge hurdle when touch screen gaming is king for them."
(Duke's kids range from around a year and half, to 6, and 15).

Crabby: "Co-op is key!"
(Crabby's son is 7 years-old and loves playing alongside Dad. He likes Skylanders, Smash Bros., Kirby, Mario, LittleBigPlanet, and gets very sad when his Dad's poor gameplay causes Pikmin to die).

Bil: "I let my son hold a battery-less controller while we're watching TV and he thinks he's controlling cartoons." 
(Bil's son, Callahan, is only 18 months old and has a long way to go, but it looks like he's off to a great start!)

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