Revelation . . . as I sit here dreading spending the next
two days at PAX East I have come to the sudden realization that the reason I am
dreading it is because I feel like a complete outsider. My son is now almost 14 years old, an
intelligent, independent young man who is completely into gaming
culture. These days he spends all his
free time playing Minecraft, Battle Block Theater, Team Fortress 2 and watching
videos on You Tube about these games. I am realizing that these people who make
and post these videos have celebrity status among fellow gamers. While I have heard some of the names tossed
around by my son, many are unfamiliar.
So while my son gets dressed in his Hattie Hattington costume and
prepares for the most exciting weekend of his year; I feel completely old and
obsolete because I wouldn’t know Markiplier if I tripped over him. I will suck it up and deal and spend this
weekend feeling like an outsider because I love my kid.
Revelation part II . . . maybe my son, and other gamers,
feel like outsiders for the other 362 days of the year? When you have such specific and intense
passion for a culture, it is hard to find others who share this interest level.
My son is fortunate to have a few friends who understand and share this
interest with him, but I think overall, most people, most kids, do not relate
to the level of gaming culture into which my son is involved. I see him going to school, boy scouts,
orchestra rehearsal, participating in the “real world”, but struggling to
connect with people who understand him.
I’ve said it before, attending PAX East is like he is visiting his home
planet where everyone understands him.
It never occurred to me before how alien he may feel the whole rest of
the year.
IMHO, my son is not yet old enough to attend this type of event
without some adult supervision. So
today, and tomorrow, I will be the alien.
I will be the dorky, non-cosplaying mom (side note – I did offer to wear
a costume but the teen wanted to be a solo cosplayer) getting a tour of this
strange gamer planet called PAX East.
I
come in peace!
I'm here with you so you're not the only alien. I'm on the expo floor now. My 12 year old son just told me you described him perfectly. FWIW, I think PAX has been eye opening and awesome. I am amazed at the scale of the culture that has emerged under our noses without most of my generation even being aware. Gaming to my son is what sports, music and TV were to me. Except that my parents participated, could relate or were at least aware. I am now committed to support him in his passion the way my parents did mine. The trick will be keeping it healthy and productive for a happy and productive life. But I think that can be the challenge for any passion.
ReplyDeleteI am glad that there are other parents like me, supporting their kid and seeking to find the balance. My favorite part of PAX is talking to the colleges and students about their game design programs. It is so great to see how these kids can grow up and go to college and be able to follow this passion to a career.
DeleteOver parenting: The Post. Not only does your son have plebian taste (I was playing Dwarf Fortress at his age), but you're almost certainly stunting his growth by being such a helicopter parent.
ReplyDeleteThe rise of the overparented kiddie (that inevitably watches PewDiePie and Yogscast, and plays minecraft obsessively) and infestation of gaming by them is one of the reasons why PAX has steadily decreased in quality over the past five years, and why the core gamer audience that it used to cater directly to is seen less and less at these events. PAX would be far better if it was strictly 18+.
This is your opinion and you are entitled to it. I will say that you are very quick to jump to conclusions and make judgements without knowing me or my kid. I am very glad that everyone I met at PAX was quite the opposite of you . . friendly and welcoming of all gamers regardless of age, ability, and game preferences.
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