Day 86: A Love Story
As a gaming couple we have had a mission during our spring break stay-cation. And that mission was to play a
bunch of different games with our kids.
Family Dungeons and
Dragons
As a couple we decided the kids are finally old enough to be
initiated into geek culture by playing their first Dungeons and Dragons game. Our children understand board
games, and digital games but role-playing and storytelling with their parents
seemed a radical idea to them (minds officially blown). Here is our current character roster for the
family game:
Age Character Name Skills
6-Year-Old
Thief/fighter Sneaky
Death Stealth
8-Year-Old Wizard Elanna Controls Ice
33 Year Old Baird Mama Cas Sings People to Sleep
33 Year Old DM Sound
FX & crazy monsters
At the start of the campaign the kids wanted to physically
interact with the DM (their dad). Elanna offered the massive gate guard a real life hair bow as a gesture of goodwill
(which of course her dad immediately wore).
It was adorable until she wanted to give each new character we
encountered a new hair bow. Sneaky Death
is having a hard time playing as a team and when new challenges appear he often
suggests that his character should run and hide or abandon his party. To get them to comply several times my
character, Mama Cas, sang her own party to sleep so she could move them to the
next phase of the campaign.
I was worried with the kids home for ten days that they
would become addicted to their digital devices,--they have proved me
wrong. A week after our first game DnD the
kids created an impromptu surprise party for the hubs and me. They designed their own tickets, gift bags,
trivia game, and snacks. The
resourcefulness of these little people reminded me they still know how to
make-believe even without a dungeon master to direct them.
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| DM Dad with Hairbow |
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| First Family Dungeon and Dragon game |
D20 and Positive
Re-enforcement
Whenever I suggest the hubs make a game related purchase he
is on his iphone using amazon prime before I can change my mind. We had read about using marbles in a jar as a
representation of positive behavior for the kids but local craft stores did not
have the gems that we had in mind. Then
I casually mentioned that we should buy a bulk order of dice and use them
instead and you can imagine my utter lack of surprise when the amazon box
appeared a day later.
It makes me entirely too happy when my kids find out they
earned a dice and then asks, “Do I get a D20.”
One rule is that no one gets dice if they barter or ask for
dice for accomplishing a task. When they
fill their jar they can earn an individual play date with a friend or solo
parent, or combine their jars for a large family outing. Last night when I came to tuck them in, they were laying
in bed planning out their ideal family day with a movie and arcade visit
(indoctrination success).
Two Weeks Left
My spring break does not coincide with the hubs and kiddos and it has been nice to come home from work and find them all playing together. All together we have played Helldivers, Dungeons andDragons, Munchkin, Catan Junior, and Plants versus Zombies (of course).
The hubs has been playing games his entire life and he cannot
even define the earliest point of origin. Together we have been playing games at
least 17 years. I have been blogging about our gaming for more than 6 years. And for
the last 86 days I have used games as a way to communicate, love, and cope within
my marriage.
Reflection: As an academic and gamer I am often the target
of rants that associate gaming with everything from the deterioration of interpersonal
communication, to desensitizing youth to violence—but in my life games have
been a love story with many high and low points. The legacy of that love story is brought
full circle by playing with the two beautiful little humans that we made.
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| Photo of family hike with our awesome kiddos during stay-cation 2015 |
