Gaming Firsts

Ok, so he's a junior gamer now. It's no secret that one of my biggest time sinks is playing video games. It helps me relax and keeps me mentally active at the same time. The biggest obstacle to getting this prized time, however, has been the fact that most games are too complicated or too violent to play in front of children.

Gamble and I picked up Super Paper Mario the other day. It's tame enough for kids, interesting enough for me, and best of all, the controls are simple enough for him to start picking up.

And he loves to play it.

Now, instead of begging to watch TV all the time, he's now asking to spend time with his dad, playing Mario.
Interesting firsts:

1) Yesterday we had the first time Gamble suggested something Daddie had not thought of while playing a video game. There was a puzzle in front of us, and I didn't think it was obvious what to do next.

"Daddie, try switching to Slim. He can make you skinny."

Ah, yes. He's outfoxing me already.

2) A couple days ago we had our first video game tantrum when I told him that we were done playing for a while. He wanted to keep playing, and he had a fit.

3) First use of Mario characters out of context. Kid's got quite the imagination, and he started involving the Mario universe in his bathtime play. Mario and Bowser got to interact with the diver and the dolphin. Hilarious!

4) First use of video games as an incentive. "Hey, Gamble, I was thinking that if your room were clean, we could go play that Mario game." Like a charm.

5) First unsolicited tag-team play. "Mommie? Can Daddie and I go play Mario?" She raised an eyebrow at me, and I had to shrug to indicate that I had totally not put him up to it.