Do your parents play video games?

[ananag112]

Just a quick question here. Do your parents play video games? Have they ever played video games? Do you think the Wii will get them to play video games?

My dad used to play Mario games with me back in the NES and SNES days and he was pretty good. He also played Zelda and F-Zero later on as well on the SNES. He didn't really want to play any video games later on though and when I forced him to play some game, he would get frustrated. In F-Zero GX for example, he kept over turning and crashing into walls. My mom never played games until I got Super Monkey Ball for the Cube. The game is very simple to control and she soon loved it. She was hooked to the game for quite some time and even forced my dad to play it. It was probably the first game that my entrie family played together. They don't play anymore and don't really so any interest in it either. As for the Revolution, I don't think they will play it.

As for other grown up family members:

My Dad's cousin was a hardcore gamer who was addicted to Zelda. His sister and his father played Zelda a lot too. They used to come to out house and play LTTP all night. This cousin stopped playing when he got his job, and his dad stopped playing as well. His sister (now 23) still plays video games.

[arthurRWD]

my dad was addicted to: Super Black Bass, Dr. Mario, Vegas Stakes, Tetris, and Pac-man
my mom was addicted to all that minus SBB.

I had 2 aunts who were AMAZING at Super Mario Bros, and could blow me or my cousins away at it. I also have an uncle who can play through the original Ninja gaiden in no time flat.

[craven_fiend]

Both my parents play quite often. At the very least daily.

[jcp4322]

my dad and I played alot when i was young, he stopped for a while and then bought a 360, he's pretty good at racing games

[SpazX]

My dad plays PC games, mostly just command and conquer now (he played the original wolfenstein, doom, and spear of destiny back in the day, but not really any current FPSs much). He played NES some, but other than that he hasn't played a console game in years.

[Ecofreak]

Neither parents play, but I'm going to give my mom my DS and pick up Brain Age along with some other games to keep her sharp while I go to Japan.

[Richlough]

Not since they disconnected the Atari 2600 from "the big TV" .

I did get my dad to play Sega GT ,because it had a Chevelle in it .

[RelentlessRolento]

My dad plays alot of PC FPSs... as long as it's fast paced and he gets to kill something, he'll play it.

[Allnatural]

Not since they disconnected the Atari 2600 from "the big TV" .
Heh, same with my family. I don't think my father has every touched a gamepad, but my mother was an avid player of Yar's Revenge on the 2600. Nowadays she'll occasionally fire up an NES emulator to play some Dr Mario.

[NeoFrank1]

I don't think my mom has ever played a video game in her life. The closest she gets to a video game is using the microwave. And my dad used to play Duck Hunt with the Zapper and Double Dragon back in the days of NES. But after that, he thought it was too complicated. Oh well.

[Photomotoz]

My dad plays PC games. There are usually dry spells though. He is most into old school FPS games, RTS but he plays other stuff, currently he is playing Jedi Academy.

[twiztidjester]

My dad got me into Zelda and FPS, My mom only plays tetris. But my grandmother stole my PSP.

[dtcarson]

My dad got my brother and me the Atari 2600 way back when, and we spent many an evening passing the controller around playing Space Invaders.
I gave him Heroes of Might and Magic 2 when I gave them a PC, I thought he'd like it, but he justdidn't get into it.
My mom plays some silly dollar-special card game I got her as a stocking stuffer couple years back, and Hoyle Board games. When they visit us they usually play Tumblebugs or something, and my dad will sometimes play a PS2 game with me--he's played Culdcept, Ratchet and Clank, Lego Star Wars, Neo Contra, Hot Shots Golf, and a couple more. He's blind in one eye so some parts of action/platform games are difficult for him, and I certainly don't think he'll buy a console, but at least he's recognized there are games for everyone.

[YoshiFan1]

My parents had an Atari 2600 before I was born. Then when I got a NES they used to like to play Super Mario Brothers. Now they both complain the games are too complicated but my dad will play NFL 2K5 or a golf game once in a while.

[botticus]

My parents both played Tetris as much as I did, and my dad played some Mario early on in the life of the NES.

More recently, he plays Warcraft II (he never really got into Warcraft III, though I tried). My mom hasn't touched a controller since the Tetris days though.

[Trakan]

Have they ever played video games? Yes, my Dad has.

Does he still? No.

Will the Wii get him back into gaming? No.

[thebob101]

How old is everyone? My parents didn't even use a cell phone before they passed much less play a video game. I think my mother thought video games were created by Satan (because I went to arcades back in the day) until a physical therapist used pc video games to help my brother's hand/eye coordination.

[crazytalkx]

My mom doesn't play any videogames while my dad has only ever played Pacman (which he realllly enjoys).

[graf1k]

My Dad and I would play back in the day. A lot of Mario Kart on SNES and then later when I got a Playstation it was basically Twisted Metal and Bottom of the Ninth every weekend I was at his place. He loved Twisted Metal, man. He never really played any more after that. I brought my Xbox the last time I visited him but he didn't want to play, just watch. I think he liked spending time with me more than he liked playing videogames, so I don't see the Wii doing anything to get him back into gaming.

And for the record, I'm 21 and my Dad is in his late 50s.

[b3b0p]

Yes,

Both are nearing 60 years old.

Dad is an RPG, Pinball (loves Kirby Pinball to death), Zelda, Fire Emblem, Castlevania type gamer.

Mom is all over Dance Dance Revolution, Phoenix Wright, and Brain Games.

[KiySeph]

Have they ever played video games?
My mom has never played a video game.

My dad likes to play any type of pinball game and any type of racing game that involves an actual wheel peripheral. He also used to be into Commodore 64 and Amiga games (I used to play them as well when I was a kid), but he ended up losing interest and selling them later on.

Do they still?
My dad doesn't play games anymore. But whenever he visits, he keeps commenting on how far the graphics in games has come along.

Will the Wii get him back into gaming?
Wii won't get him back into gaming, but he'll probably give the controller a shot.

On other family members:
My uncle used to be a hardcore gamer and he was the one who fueled my video game addiction. He had the SNES and NES before I did and he got me my Virtual Boy, Genesis, Game Gear, and SNES for each Christmas. He got me into RPGs such as Final Fantasy 2 US. He's such an awesome uncle!

But he ended up losing interest around the beginning of the original Playstation era.

[dtcarson]

My dad used to rock at pinball. At one of the roller rink birthday parties he played for the longest time on one quarter and got free play. He had about 8 kids around him watching.

[Puffa469]

Soo cool that alot of parents play games!

My mom is sooo behind the times she about 60, and just got her first CD player about a year ago. She does have webtv tho, and plays solitaire on it, does that count as 'gaming' lol.

Oh, and waaay back in the day, when I got my original NES, my Grandmother would play DuckHunt. :D

[Steggy]

my dad used to play nes with me back in the day. Galaga and mario bros were his games of choice.

[wubb]

This thread is screaming for a poll. Oh well.

Neither of my parents play video games AFAIK. I've gotten my dad in a Fuzion Frenzy match once in a blue moon but that's about it. My grandma plays a scrabble game from time to time.

I'd be shocked if the Wii got them into gaming. Gaming is just not something they are interested in.

[getmeoutofjoliet]

my mom has never played a video game.
my dad used to play on the N.E.S. with me and my bro back in the day, but hasn't played anything since, although he does like to watch us play.
My uncle is the one who turned me on to video games. He still plays, and when he comes over we play for hours on end.
The wii will make my parents laugh.

[Puffa469]

my mom has never played a video game.
my dad used to play on the N.E.S. with me and my bro back in the day, but hasn't played anything since, although he does like to watch us play.
My uncle is the one who turned me on to video games. He still plays, and when he comes over we play for hours on end.
The wii will make my parents laugh.

My Uncle is the one who got me into games as well. When I was a little kid in the 70's. I viewed him as an 'adult' but he was only in his early twenties. We had a Coleco Telstar Combat machine, dedicated to playing combat. Then one day my uncle brought home the Atari 2600 and the rest is history!

[wageslave]

My dad plays card games on the computer. Not the online type but the one player type.

That's about it.

[zindsoros]

My mom loves Taiko Drum Master and enjoys playing Donkey Konga too. Other than those 2 theres not much she cares to play, although she liked Myst back when it was popular. My dad never plays/never has to my knowledge.

I doubt the Wii is going to get my mom into gaming any more than she already is, but I ca imagine there being the occasional game she likes with the controller the way it is.

[thorbahn3]

I Mom played Columns sometime in the early '90's.

[KiySeph]

OH, I just realized something...

My mom's not into games at all, but she absolutely LOVES Karaoke. So maybe a little Karaoke Revolution will change her mind about games.

Then again, maybe not...

[Graystone]

Do you think the Wii will get them to play video games?

No, maybe, and yes. As hard as its going to be I will generalize the whole gaming population.

No the Wii will not change peoples opinion on video games. Some people will not play it just cause its a video game. The Wii will be like crack not many people will want to use it. Until other people get them hooked on it.

Maybe Again people may look at it like a video game system and it will not change their opinion on it. The name, look or design, the game thats playing may turn them off it. Also these things are the same things that might turn people on to it.

Yes If the controller is truly simple then it might bring people to play it when they normally wouldn't. The biggest problem I hear with people is that game controllers are to complex. Games are to complex.

My synopsis

The controller is simple and easy to use. However at the same time, that IMO doesn't mean that people will play the Wii just cause the controller is simple to use. It might work it might not work. I like Nintendo and their products. However they have the smallest console market in the US. So all we can do is wait and see.

To answer your question My dad has not picked up a Controller since NES. My Mom will play ever now and then. Normally a racing game. I think that its not so much the console as its the gaming world. Most adults look at gaming as a young person thing. Yes I know the average age of a person buying a video game is 39. yes I know that people of all ages play games. I think IMO thats no matter the game console it will always come down to the fact that gaming is a young persons thing in the eyes of most adults IMO.

[y2jedi]

Mom plays the PC stuff like Bejewed & Myst.

Dad only plays boxing/wrestling games ever since the infamous controller smashing incident during the Goldeneye 007 day of '98. My brother and I still have a big laugh to this day about that. He literally stomped on his controller cursing my bro out(it was three on one and we just couldn't kill him). I'll never forget how the thumbstick flew across the room.
But, the old man likes to call my plays if he's over and I'm playing Madden.

[Kuros]

My mom pretty much plays casino games and the like, with the exception of Columns and Tetris. My stepdad will play the casino games also, but will also play a game with my brother once in a while.

My dad isn't really interested in games, but never has tried to pry me away from them. :D

Edit: Should have just heard her perk up when I mentioned I had Tetris Worlds for the Xbox. :P

[Warlock TCK]

My dad plays Halo and Halo 2 occasionally. Right now he's playing the hell out of Resident Evil 4. He's beaten it twice and is going through it again and that's only cause the 360 is up at college with me and he can't play GRAW.

[ananag112]

This thread is screaming for a poll. Oh well.

Good idea. Too bad I didn't think about doing that. If you would like, maybe you could just lock this thread and start a new one with a poll?

[Javery]

Have they ever played video games? Yes, my Dad has.

Does he still? No.

Will the Wii get him back into gaming? No.

Exactly. My dad liked Tetris back in 1989 when I got it for Christmas but that was it. He played for about three days.

[Rig]

My dad never played games, though he had a Ms. Pac-Man arcade unit in his shop at work!

My mom would play Pac-Man/Ms.Pac-Man with me every once in a while. She was decent at the game.

[Kaijufan]

My Dad used to play games before I was born (I think he still has a Fairchild Channel F), but he doesn't anymore. My mom has never played any games.

[2Fast]

My Dad plays every-so-often. He's very, very good at Tetris (any iteration), and used played Wario's Woods for the SNES every day after work for about five hours or so until he would start to get a headache. He has an Xbox now, and usually plays Project Gotham Racing or Tetris every once and a while. He'd usually play other games with me, but I don't see him as often anymore.

I think the last game I played with my Mom was Twisted Metal 2. Although, when I first got my 360 she was awestruck by Fight Night Round 3 and said she'd play that sometime (but I doubt it).

[Kendal]

My parents used to play them. My grandpa form my dad's side had a heart attack playing Frogger and ever since my dad had his pair, he really has been kind of gun shy around a console. He does love watching me play Burnout on the TV. He used to play NES(Duck Hunt mostly) and some Comedore64. My mom really only plays her solitare and Free Cell on the PC. I have gotten her to play Pac-Man Vs and some Dreamcast fishing. For the most part I am the gamer of the family. My sister and I used to play, but she grew out of it and I grew into it.

[Blind the Thief]

My dad seems incapable of playing anything without "Mario" in the title.

Slap "Mario" on there, though, and he'll play it pretty well.

[PenguinMaster]

My mom plays a few racing games (Mario Kart DD, Burnout Revenge, and Hydro Thunder). She also plays a few simple PC games like Solitaire and Shanghai. My dad used to like Wolfenstein 3D a lot, but things got too complicated when enemies were on multiple levels in Doom and later FPSs (and really complicated when you could look up and down).

EDIT: I think my dad also played some Atari 2600 when it first came out (I wasn't born yet).

And no, there is no reason to think that they will play the Wii when it comes out.