The Video Game Critic

In discussions about the rise of the NES in America, someone commented on the family all gathered around the NES. That's a pretty magical moment. I wonder if only a few games, or systems, get those moments. Not where you and a group of friends get together, but one of those that crosses several generations - when little Timmy and Auntie Ruth and maybe Grandpa Jo all gaze and gawk or even join in the fun of the video game.


I bet the Wii has some of these moments. The first consoles or 8 bit computers people had probably have some of these moments. I remember everyone gathered around to see Crash Bandicoot on the PS1 in my family too. Myst on the PC brought in people who normally did not play video games, but it did not seem cross generational.

Did your family have any of these cross generational everyone gather around the video game moments?

My parents hate video games, so my family never had many fun moments around the ol' NES (or, SNES, in my case). There was one time, though, when my parents got me and my sister Mario Kart Wii for Christmas, and all our relatives were over, and the whole family spent hours playing it together. Even my parents played. We probably replaced the batteries in those two controllers three times before we done.

As much as I think the system has aged badly the Wii definitely had those moments. Can't recall exactly what year but during one of our New Year's Eve celebrations my brother in law put Wii Sports on for the kids. Eventually the adults got sucked in and soon everyone was having a go. It even got the card sharks off the games table (who trust me, don't move all night) for a quick go of bowling.

Otherwise I can remember when I got my Spectrum for Xmas. The family had a curious look especially my grandparents who thought it was space age tech. I gave my grandad the single button joystick and he just couldn't bend his head around it, lord knows what he would have made of controllers these days with their multiple buttons !