Notes

Families that Play together Stay Together

My dad enjoys hunting, fishing and fighting fires. I enjoy philosophy, reading and not being too self-centered about myself. Although we may not have a lot in common, we play a lot of games with each other. Shooters for military are the most common because he is bored easily by the slower moving stories-based games I usually play on my own. I was not going to follow his example at the fire station and he didn't want to read Kant with me. Instead, we have bonded through virtual battles.



That's not something unique to my family. Steven struggles to find the common ground with his children, just like my father. One of his daughters is a professional dancer. The other daughter is in band. However, as the girls have gotten older playing video games has brought the whole family closer together.



"I've been a huge player since I was in college and my daughters have just started picking up the game," he told me. "About six or seven years ago, I purchased my oldest daughter a computer and she and I began playing games together and against one another, and it just kind of developed from there. Steven and his daughters Maya and Nicole were getting ready for Torchlight 2 at QuakeCon in Dallas. Steven stated that they used to have one room in their home where all their computers were. I asked Steven whether they played a lot of games together. "We would sit in the room and play for hours."



They play many games together, such as Borderlands and The Secret World, though Steven informed me that both he as well as Maya, who is 11 years old, have a love for Minecraft. It is clear that Minecraft is a modern day Lego set The two work together and create as a team. "I actually am a fan of Minecraft. We'll connect to the server and create things together and things."



It's not just the games. Theirs is also a house of technology. Nicole's relatives arranged to get Nicole an item for a brand new computer. Her father also built it. They have learned how to set up hardware the same way other children learn to change the flat tire on an automobile. "I try to show them that this is what you need to do when building a computer,' so that way they know how to do things by themselves," Steven said. "I tried to make them as self-sufficient as is possible."



Of course, having things you love to do together at home isn't always a guarantee of good family time. Sometimes life gets in the way and you need a vacation to be able to spend time with your loved ones. List But where do you go when exploring magical kingdoms (albeit virtual) is part of your normal family bonding?



Steven's family chose QuakeCon because it takes place in their state. The Bethesda-hosted event is described as the largest free LAN party worldwide and draws thousands of people to Dallas. Steven explained, "It helps us focus on working together." It's a lot of fun to go out and see what other people are doing and what new things are coming out. It's just something we all love doing, and I just realized that it's right here in the area, and it's not that expensive to travel and do it, so why not?"



They don't go it alone. QuakeCon is a group event, much like families who camp with their friends. Steven and his daughters attended along with their friends including Nicole's friend Sean. "His dad and I have become good friends," Steven said. "I would invite Sean and his family to our home to have mini LAN events. I would invite three to four of my friends, and my daughters would be invited to join me. It will be a great time at the house. In the last couple of years, QuakeCon has been another thing to do.



"I don't know whether it was the family members sitting down for dinner and saying, "We should go!" Sean 17, 17, shared his story with me. While his parents, father and his 7-year-old brother Reid, were away, Sean was still playing in the Bring Your Own Computer area of QuakeCon. "It was just my dad and I saying"This is kick A, we have to get out there and to this and the other two kind of got dragged along. Especially with [Steven's family] coming, we're close to them and we play together anyway so they suggested, 'You guys should come and play,' and it just kind of took place."



They find booking an accommodation in a hotel to enjoy an entire weekend of video games one of the most natural things they could do. Why shouldn't it be? Anyone who is younger than 18 today was born into a world where video games are an everyday activity for millions. It's been an extended time since games were a phenomenon that parents couldn't comprehend in any way. Instead, they're something that adults enjoy with their children.



Steven's oldest daughter is going to college close to home He hopes that QuakeCon, at least, could be a chance for the entire family to gather and play games during the weekend, regardless of when the girls get older and leave home. "I've got at least six or seven more years with my youngest," Steven said. "But we'll be trying to make it last for as long as is possible."



It isn't a matter of what they do, as long as they're enjoying their time together. "The main reason we're here is for an escape. It's just to play video games and sort of hang out. Daddy daughter time." Britton Peele is a writer for hire based out of Texas. His work has been featured in GameSpot, GamesRadar, and The Dallas Morning News. Follow him on Twitter @BrittonPeele


Here's my website: https://minecraft-server-list.info/