Am I a gamer?

Over the past week, as I've pondered and compiled lists of future topics for this blog, I keep coming back to the same question -"Am I a gamer?"  I suppose the answer depends on what your definition of a 'gamer' is.  Urban Dictionary divides gamers in to 2 categories, Casual Gamers and Hardcore Gamers (see the full definitions here: http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=gamer).  While Dictionary.com keeps it quite simple, stating:

     gam·er  [gey-mer]

     noun

     a person who plays games, especially computer or video games.

By the most basic of definitions, yes I am a gamer. But I think I fall more in to the "casual gamer" subset. Yes, I have a membership to a site that allows me to download games.  Yes, when the newest incarnation of Diner Dash is released I will download and play it obssessively until I complete all the levels.  I play Farmville on Facebook, as well as other games that my FB peers are currently playing. At the moment, Candy Crush is all the rage among many of my FB friends. Yes, I play Angry Birds on my iPad and really want to get 3 stars on all levels to unlock that damn golden egg!!!

My Farm @ Level 142

OK, so as I'm writing this, I am coming to the conclusion that I am indeed a "gamer."  I am also realizing that my gaming habits have more than likely influenced my son's.  So not only do I have to admit to being a gamer, but I need to take reponsibility for creating a "hardcore gamer."  For that is indeed what my son is, no question about it!  But I still think of myself as the "mom of a gamer" rather than a "gamer mom."  Do I have my definitions mixed up?  Have I simply not found my particular niche of "gamer mommies"?  Or is it just a generation gap that separates the degree of gamer between me and my son? What do you think - do I have this blog all wrong?  Am I "gamer mommy" or "mommy of a gamer"?

Are you the parent of a gamer, but not a gamer parent?

I attended PAX East with my 12 year old son a few weeks ago.  My son, is a true gamer - he knows more about video games than any other 12 year old I have ever met.  He knows about games that he has never even played, games from before he was born!  He can tell you the entire history of Mario.  I fully support my son's gaming interests, as you can see from my profile picture (We cosplayed as characters from the Nintendo game series Pikmin, I'm a Blue Pikmin and my son was Captain Olimar).

Something I've noticed since PAX is that there are lots of website, blogs, and pages about the video game industry.  You can find reviews and information about any game on any platform.  And I think it's great that there is so much support for the gaming community.  But where is the support for the parents of gamers?  For the naive mom who didn't even know dressing up as a Blue Pikmin was called cosplay?  For the parent's who's only definition of a platform is "a raised level surface on which people or things can stand"?  For the parent who can't tell the difference between Mario and Luigi, Princess Peach and Princess Daisy?

On a whim and a prayer, I decided to start a blog to support the parents of gamers.  Does your kid drive you crazy humming theme songs to their favorite video game?  Do they torture you to play Minecraft with them and then get impatient when you can't keep up with them?  Do you get motion sickness watching your kid play Super Mario Galaxy?  Is your idea of gaming playing Scrabble or Bejeweled Blitz on your smart phone? If the answer to any of these questions is YES, then this is the blog for you!

I hope you will follow me as I explore and learn more about the extremely large world of gaming in an effort to cross the boundaries between gamer and non-gamer, novice and expert; and create a better understanding of how these two worlds can co-exist in the same family!