6/6/07
Today's CODE WORD is... if you were to buy a video game console, like the XBOX, PS3 or whatever, which one would you get? Which is the best, has the coolest games, all that?
Yes, you can make remarks about how it was all better when we just had Centipede and Defender, and yes, you can comment on American obesity, but if you were actually buying a new game platform, which is the way you'd go?
I'm still lamenting the fact the Sega doesn't make the Dreamcast anymore. I kinda gave up videogames after college but my wife got a free Dreamcast from her job (circa 2001) and it sat in our closet for months. Then my younger brother came back to visit for the weekend and he saw the Dreamcast and asked if I had any games. I only had two but we bought a used copy of World Series Baseball 2K1 and I became an addict. I went from never touching the thing to playing literally two hours a day of just that one game. I'd play entire 162 games seasons in like a month! There was almost a Sega intervention. Then I got Tivo. The Dreamcast went into the closet, where it remains today.
I tried to recapture the magic a few summers ago and bought a used PS2 which I played for a few weeks but I figured I spent enough sedentary time with TV (and TiVo) and didn't need another excuse to sit in front on the TV.
All that being said, my friends that do still play all have the PS3 and say it's great. I suspect this is primarily because it will still play PS2 games as well. XBOX has it's fans too.
I'm leaning strongly toward the wii for the novelty of it. After playing for hours with a friend's, I know I won't get bored with it. (Always play with your friend's wii.)
On the other hand, the 360 will play all my current xbox games.
On yet the other hand (I have that many; little known fact) the PS3 has Katamari Damacy, and that alone is a reason to buy a game platform.
But I heard a rumor that Katamari was going to available for the Wii, which - if true - problem solved. Which reminds me; it's been months since I read that; I need to check on the current status of that rumor.
Oh, I should also mention the xbox 360 has a game that looks lovely called Viva Piñata. Theoretically, it's a kids game, but on the page I was reading, adults were confessing they played it as much as the kids.
You tend a garden and colorful little piñata animals come to live in it.
I haven't played, but looking at the website it seemed like something I would like.
Xbox seems to have a overabundance of shooting and battle games - that gets boring after awhile, and I get frustrated trying to hunt down games that aren't geared toward 18 year old boys.
Okay, you did give me permission so here goes..
I hate these things. Between fat kids and teen shooters I think these are the killing our society. Okay, I realize that's a bit grandiose, but really, what would happen if a few parents so no to this a little more? Do you know how many small kids have these in their own rooms at home?
My daughter who is six has just learned about these devices and occasionally asks about getting one. I realize we will be fighting this for a while but I truly hope to avoid having this in our home. I'd hard enough to fight over the TV shows she watches and CD-ROMs she has.
I had a medical student in my class I taught who had to drop out because he was obsessed with video games and was staying up all night playing them and not making it to class.
That being said, if I HAD to pick one, at least I'd probably pick the Wii because at least you are moving around, but for kids at least, I'd rather they move around outside or while interacting with real human beings.
Okay, so I've made myself the boring, bad guy of the day on Ian's blog. Someone had to do it!
xbox360 - for a couple of reasons:
- you can add an hd-dvd player if you want in the future (and not invest it in now, with ps3/bluray given the uncertainity).
- iptv coming to xbox360 this fall
- media connect - i know you are a mac user, but you may want to find out your mac/media connect options.
- gamesthat being said, the wii may be more friendly for the little one with the stick. but, i don't think it's going to get you the other add-ons you get with xbox360 anytime soon.
Not in my house. I'm with Neva on this one. There are too many other interesting things to do. I love how this comes up in conversations with other moms. They ask me about it and I tell them I'm not getting one. Then they exchange these "knowing" looks and say things like "we used to say that to" and "you'll change your mind later". No one but my husband truly understands how stubborn I can be (he is in total agreement on this one too). :)
Neva - At least for the next few years, you can tell Eden that she is not the only kid in NC who doesn't have one. You can tell her Frederick won't be getting one anytime soon. He does have a six or seven year old "hand me down" gameboy that we pull out on car trips that he usually gives up on his own before we have to ask him to stop.
I am so uninformed on these things, the only thing I would know how to choose it Atari - man, that Pitfalls game was fun.
The wife bought me an XBOX360 for Christmas and I have to say I love it. I love the sports games (NCAA Basketball, Football, Hockey). In the college basketball game, I've played the Heels 1998 team versus the 1982 team and the 2005 team against the 1982 team. Pretty darn cool.
Also, Lego Star Wars II is the greatest game ever invented.
I won't even consider buying one. Not for me or my son. If Gina asks for one (I don't think she ever would), I'd buy it for her, but I'd have to build a separate room and make sure I didn't have access to the codes to get in there. I get sucked into video games and will go whole weeks without getting more than a couple of hours of sleep per night. They simultaneously stimulate and numb the mind in a way that I'm evidently very receptive to.
The few times I play video games now (on the PC) I have to segregate the time (usually with co-workers on a Friday night) and plan to sleep in the next day. When I decided to return to grad school I told those co-workers not to expect me back online for awhile and I've been able to resist the call.
A gaming console in my house? No Thanks.
That being said, I hear the Wii is nice as long as you're not susceptible to tennis elbow.
I know zero about this stuff, since we've never owned any kind of video game. (And yes, our kids survived! But I don't want to come off sounding morally superior. Just a choice we made.)
But I like the idea of that Wii thingie because apparently you move your body (or arms, anyway) around as you manipulate the play. I read that people have actually lost weight from playing Wii games frequently! So that looks fun. I have no idea what kind of TV or system you need for it.
I was born too early, and I'm not that crazy about video games -- not enough folds in my brain where it controls my thumbs. And personally I'm looking for fewer time sinks, not more.
That being said, I really like the idea of the WII because of the novel controller. You actually use muscles besides your thumbs using it.
Plus the WIIMote (bluetooth cordless controller) has turned into a hacker's dream -- google 'wiimote midi'
Yes, you can make remarks about how it was all better when we just had Centipede and Defender
Well, you already answered your own question.
Pitfall was pretty good too.
My opinion is similarly troglodytic.
I use the Multiple Arcade Machine emulator (MAME) on my PC to enjoy those great games of yesteryear (esp Galaga and Donkey Kong). Too bad neither Paper Boy nor Spy Hunter work properly, but overall MAME brightens the cave considerably.
The ATARI 2600.
Usually comes with a COMBAT cartridge and you can opt for other ones like ASTEROIDS and PAC-MAN.
The controllers are (1) a joystick with a red fire button and; (2) a paddle control with a red fire button.
If you've got the money (these things run about $20 to $25 per cartridge), I'd recommend the following games:
Donkey Kong
Missle Command
Warlords
and the ever popular:YAR'S REVENGE with the Quotile Warrior.
Of course, my video game skills hit their zenith in 1984. So my information might be a little--how did Bud put it--"troglodytic".
My six year old niece kicked my ass bowling and playing tennis on the Wii. I now want to get one so I can crush her the next time I see her.
saving up to buy Big Buck Hunter Pro, Area 51, and Police Trainer machines. I'm serious. it's a life goal.
like action movies, I love these games, hate killing and hunting and guns. for me, it's a dichotomy that's not mutually exclusive. and I'd rather see guns than video games get banned.
I promise I will stay on topic today. (I know you were referring to me with the American obesity comment. Not that I'm obese!) My 8 year old wants a Wii, so if I had to buy one, I guess that would be the winner. But I'm with Neva, and we won't have one of those things in this house for a long time. And part of the reason is my husband! He has an addictive video game personality, and he is the one who would spend too much time playing with it.
There is a schism in the videogame world right now. Oh my god, I know. There really is though.
The Xbox 360 and the PS3 are doing what they set out to do: play videogames for gamers. And they are both doing a good job of it. Xbox has the best network for online gaming, Xbox Live. You can jump on there for a small (to large depending on what you want) fee and get your butt handed to you by someone playing who knows where that was probably born in the late '90s.
The PS3 has a network similar to this, but the Xbox has a multi-year head start on them and PS3 is having problems moving selling b/c of its hefty price tag and as of right now menial offerings.
The schism however was created by the Wii. The Wii is a system that is not built exclusively for gamers, but truly everybody. You really can feel like you are playing golf and tennis and bowling and baseball, and it is only going to get cooler. Not to mention, the characters you play in these games are little versions of you that you create yourself called Mii's. In addition, Nintendo and its online service is slowly releasing old Nintendo, Super Nintendo, Sega Genesis, Turbografx-16, and Nintendo 64 games each Monday, that you can download for 5 or 10 dollars.
I live with 3 other guys, we are all in our late 20's. We have an Xbox 360 and a Wii. My roommates will play the 360 for cutting edge graphics and cool, new games, but EVERYONE who comes over my house will play the Wii. This includes my girlfriend, my parents, my sister, my co-workers, seriously everyone.
Nintendo's godfather, Shigeru Miyamoto (Super Mario, Zelda) created it b/c he hated the direction videogames were going in. He didn't want videogames to be a lazy thing to do (obesity epidemic) and he didn't want all the news stories to be about videogame violence. He said that people would play anything if it was fun. And he was right.
If I had spare time I'd get a Wii, but I don't even have time for my 360.
When you are back in L.A. feel free to come on over and give it a test drive.
Guitar Hero!!
Elizabeth, I played that for the first time a couple of weeks ago and never realized how difficult JESSICA (by the Allman Brothers) was for the rhythm guitar!
GFWD, LOL...
I hear the 5200 has a great version of TURBO.
we have a WII and it ROCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!! it is so fun i can't even stand it. i play with my 7 year old and 4 year old. i particularly like that bunny game whose name i can't remember.
much respect to all parenting styles, every style probably works fine if you just stay heavily involved.
but i take the opposing view, and we are a wide-open media house. i believe no medium is inherently evil or damaging, you just have to promote self-control skills.
i think when you make digital media a forbidden thing it is about as effective as promoting abstinence to prevent teen sex, so i am probably in a radically different camp than the other parents on here.
along with the WII, we have 3 TVs and a projector TV with a 6 foot screen, 4 computers not counting the recording studio, and the kids have a dvd player and a computer, soon to add another computer, on which they play computer games. my 7 yo son has a gameboy and my 4 yo son has scaled down version of a gameboy whose name i can't remember.
my experience with this is that despite having tons of exposure to digital media, these kids are anything but illiterate couch potatoes. they both take dance class, martial arts, and are extremely fit and athletic, my 4yo rides a 2 wheeler and my 7yo would love nothing better than to live at the beach or pool. on the academic side, they are doing really well, my 4 yo reads and writes in english and japanese, and my 7yo is a math and science nut who is taking computer science classes in video game production and online graphic novels this summer.
i really see zero connection between how they behave and the activity choices they make vs. their access to digital media like games. we limit their consumption of all recreational stuff until their chores are done and their homework is done, etc., but they are just as happy to climb a tree as play a video game, depending on the whims of the day*.
we also have a big loaded candy jar in full reach in the kitchen. our rule is they can have a couple of hershey kisses or whatever other candy is stuffed in there only if they eat their full dinner including veggies, so they can't skip right to dessert. same principle applies with the digital media stuff, we don't have a war on drugs type battle against digital media or sugar or almost anything i can think of, we just treat it as a fun part of life that you have to learn to balance.
and i'd rather teach them about how to get balance in their lives now instead of leaving them to their own devices later, no pun intended...
*except saturday mornings, when the TV is their domain from as early as they can wake up until around 11 when their sports classes start.
CL,
In 2003 I was at my friend's wedding in L.A. He was marrying a German woman. For the "polter abend" we went to a Salvation Army store to purchase cheap used China for purposes of throwing and breaking the dishes as part of the polter abend ceremony. That long backdrop was all to tell you this. One of the guys found a pristine Atari 5200 on one of the shelves and, much to his wife's chagrin, he bought it and proudly displayed it to anyone who would listen for the rest of the weekend.
I'm not sure if his console came with Turbo or Pole Position, though. (Did anyone else have that stupid E.T. game on their 2600 like me?)
About 6 years ago I bought a Playstation because I saw a game DVD which had all of the original arcade style games for such greats as TEMPTEST, JOUST, CENTIPEDE, BATTLEZONE and ASTEROIDS. Played with it for about a week and then traded it to my buddy for a reconditioned computer he made for me.
My neighbors have a Wii and I plan to check it out this weekend.
I like what xuxE had to say about teaching self-control, moderation and balance. Sage advice for this rookie dad.
Man, I think the Wii wins this round.
Xuxe, that is some compelling stuff - I'll show it to Tessa (if she hasn't read this entry already).
Ian,
I'd definetely go with the Xbox 360. Although, I dont have one, I have friends that do...and they love it
I don't know much about the other systems, but I have heard that Wii is LOADS O FUN. As in, grown men fighting with their kids for Wii time at home.
Plus, I like the commercials.
E.T. was a big disaster story for Atari. They tried to slip substandard graphics under everyone's nose and hoped to ride on the movie's coat-tales. I found that I ended up liking the game a lot, though - it just required patience.
Once the 5200 started getting Qix, Q*Bert and Moon...Moon buggy, was it? Mooncrater? Darn. Now my memory is going. Anyway, those were fun games.
What's that Bowling for Soup song about the woman who's stuck in 1985? Ha ha, take 2-3 years off...
Moon Patrol.