Tag Archives: Gaming

A throne and a Tomb Raider

From the moment we found out that we were having a little girl, I have been calling Harley a princess. I’m not sure why, but it just seemed to fit. Now that she’s here, we have a range of names for her, including calling her our little banana thanks to how she looks all swaddled up in her yellow baby blanket, or the little terrorist when she would scream and cry seemingly without cause. Now that we’re getting more used to her, it seems that “princess” is even more fitting considering her preferred postures.

Yes, Harley loves being worn in the sling, and she likes being held in general. However, once of her most comfortable and happy positions is sitting up. Obviously, she isn’t old enough to actually sit up, but she seems to love being propped up as if on a throne. We already knew she loved her car seat, especially because we could also use it as a rocker in the house, but Dean discovered that she also enjoys the couch. It’s one of those discoveries that feels inherently like a dad experiment, and has given us some newfound peace and free time. Continue Reading

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2 Comments Gaming, Parenting

When I plan to introduce my kid to Skylanders

I recently reviewed Skylanders: Superchargers for my day job over on Lazygamer.net. I was expecting to be bored by it seeing as it’s developed to be a kid’s game, but I actually really enjoyed it. Plus, it made me even more excited to get to play it with Harley one day – there is fun co-op so that we can play together, and I think any kid will get a kick out of the humor and adventurous experience. Also, the characters show a lot of empathy, even for the bad guys, and it’s nice to see some cool ideas of friendship and cooperation reenforced in a game. I already explained some of the reasons why I want Harley to be a gamer when she grows up; from mapping and problem-solving skills to decision-making alacrity and an interest in mythology, gaming helps with all of that. But there’s always the question of how old she needs to be to start video gaming, and if all that screen time is good for her.

I started looking into this, especially after discussions this weekend where I was seen as a bit odd for being so intent on having specific kinds of stimuli for Harley from birth. I know what I want, and I want her to learn about all kinds of things from before she can walk or talk. There is so much that happens in a kid’s brain so very early on, and reading to her and playing games together will be a big part of that. But mostly these were based on experiences without a screen because so many people rant and rave that screen time is dangerous for every human. Well, not so much. Continue Reading

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Comment Gaming, Geek, Parenting

On raising a girl strong enough to be called a dumb woman

It was a bit of a difficult weekend for me. I had fun and it wasn’t something on my mind the whole time, but there was some drama at work. The joy of my work being on the internet is that the whole world can see it. Over on lazygamer.net, I wrote a review of NBA 2K16. It’s a really great game when you get to experience the cool basketball action, but it’s also primarily locked behind online servers, so if the severs are down, the gameplay experience is seriously less than optimal. I wrote about the good and the bad in my review, the way I have for countless games, but the response I got was filled with quite a lot of vitriol. I’m used to this, and have come to expect it, but it affected me in a new way this time.

I often joke with the guys at work about being the only woman, about how my opinions are automatically seen as less valid because I have a vagina. The reality is that when people agree with me, they generally don’t even notice my gender. When they disagree, the easiest thing to do is blame the fact that I’m just an idiot woman who shouldn’t be writing game reviews. We laugh at the comments like that, and often joke about feeding off the hate. But now I’m bringing a little girl into the world, and even if she is the smartest person alive, she will be criticized for what she thinks because she’s a woman. Continue Reading

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6 Comments Gaming, Parenting

Tearaway brings the joy of gaming to real life

Video games are a whole lot of fun in the moment. They can capture the imagination and make us see the world in new ways. They can also teach us new skills and can be an integral part of a kid’s development. That’s why I’m hoping to get my munchkin into gaming. But not all games are created equal. Continue Reading

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Comment Gaming, Geek, Toys

Why I hope my daughter is a gamer

I have been a gamer for basically my whole life. I started as the navigator, watching my brother play and giving him advice about how to beat a level or where to go next. As we got older, we’d occasionally play couch co-op games, but he moved on to other interests while I stayed invested in gaming. It has helped to shape my life and who I am; beyond the fact that I now get to write about video games for work, it helped to forge the very core of who I am as a person, and I hope that it’s something I can pass on to my kid.

Sure, it’s just a hobby, and a pretty common one at this point. However, the more I think about my unique skill set and where I acquired many of those skills, the more I think that gaming should be part of every kid’s upbringing. And yes, I know that people like to talk about playing outside and stuff too, but I do think that playing inside is also a valid pursuit and should be encouraged in kids. Continue Reading

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6 Comments Gaming, Geek, Parenting