As of late, I have been spending many hours on the wonderful planet of
Pandora--I've been playing Borderlands with a friend like a fiend lately, and I fucking LOVE it. And I'm not even a fan of first person shooters. I'm beginning to wonder if co-op is my preferred gaming mode. There are a lot of things I do on my own, and I have a tendency to keep to myself. But when it comes to videogames with friends, I'm always the first to suggest a co-op game over any PVP. Perhaps it has something to do with my avoidance of confrontation? Even fighting games lose their luster. As of recently, I kinda hate them. But Let Me Tell You Why.
I have a couple of friends (a married couple, in fact) with kids that I hang out with during a good amount of my weekends. We'll call 'em Mama and Papa Friend, and Kid1 and 2.
It's pretty relaxed; we watch shows together, play games (video and board), and occasionally go out. It's honestly a relatively rare situation we have, but it works for us. Most of the time, the games we play are arcade or puzzle videogames. But every now and then, it's a fighting game, or some other competitive game that pits me against (9 times out of 10) Papa Friend.
I'm beginning to think there's a genetic alert that goes off in the kids' heads that tells them to come into the living room whenever Papa Friend and I play a competitive game. This same alert seems to shut down their sense of good sportsmanship during the duration of the game and they, in turn, cheer for Papa Friend
The Entire Time.
The ENTIRE FUCKING Time.
Now look, I'm 26, I'm single, I don't (want to) have kids, and I haven't been consistently around them in over three years. Doesn't mean that I don't like them (after and before a certain age). My little siblings are 13, and 8(twins, too). Love em to pieces.
But I am Not Used to being booed by not one, but TWO children. I already don't really care for PvP, so the fact that these little people are hoping for my failure just ticks me off.
I know what you're going to say, "Pusher, honey, it's just a game. They're just kids. Chill out." And maybe you're right. Perhaps it's just me. Perhaps it's the environment. I'm spending time with an entire family that is not my own. And while I feel welcome enough--as a guest and a good friend--I am not part of their family. So this act feels like a very subtle attack on the outsider. And this might say a lot about where I stand with my own family--being away from them, only getting to see them once, maybe twice a year. I feel a disconnect with my blood, and I'm not quite sure where to begin with fixing it--and whether it should be fixed.
BUT maybe it's all about what the kids say:
Kid 1: "Yay, Papa won! He's the best!"
Kid 2: "Aw, Papa lost! That's not fair!"
Kid 1: "Go Papa! Papa's way better than Alyce."
Am I being too sensitive? I must be--if my family said stuff like this, I'd totally blow it off and talk back. But hearing it from these kids makes me want to duct tape their mouths shut. It's interesting, because other than these moments, the kids are fine, we get along well, and there are no problems. It's just these fucking competitive games that bring out the part of them that makes me cringe. And fume. And blog, apparently.
So, I've made a promise to myself that I will never play a competitive game over there unless the kids are asleep or away. And even then, I would probably be opting for a co-op dungeon crawler or first-person shooter anyway. ;)
~Pusher. Of. Pens.~
PS: If Mama and Papa Friend are reading this, you know I love you all (yes, including the kids). But you know exactly what I mean.
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