[I actually looked up a random image of "mom" on Google, and I really don't recommend doing so without SafeSearch on... Dear God, I hate you Google.]

*This article might contain spoilers for GTA IV, MGS 4, COD 4 and a few other games. Don't complain*


Love 'em or hate 'em, your mom is your mom. She and/or your dad are probably the reason you owned your first console, the reason you owned you first game, or what have you. They could also be the very people who turned you on to gaming and all its splendor. My mom has never really been into video games, but she's basically the reason I got into it; buying my consoles in every generation on Christmas since SNES. She never really complained, she never really bothered to tell me "Okay, Daniel, this is a violent game, DON'T FUCKING PLAY IT!". She's always been accepting of my video gamer mentality, and I think that's pretty cool.

Anyway, the reason I started randomly typing out this blog is because I was reading Manta's blog about MGS4 possibly being for casual gamers. The whole situation with a "casual" gamer being his girlfriend kinda struck me as the same situation as my mom(If you think any differently than a video game stand point, you're just as sick as Google), she's into that old, simple shit and never really interested in my newer, complex shit. That is, until recently.

You see, my gamer set up is rather... small. I don't have a personal area in which I play my games. Being 17 and in high school I have to basically keep my stuff in the living room in order to get my game on. I play on the biggest screen in the house with the general computer adjacent the T.V. and console. I would much rather have this stuff in my room, but I need to buy that. Regardless, this stuff being in such close proximity is why my mom has begun to become more interested in my games. She's normally sitting on the computer (playing her stupid flash games or reading that "OMG WTF IS SPAM, DANIEL?!" e-mail) and I sit on the couch playing my games.

Recently my mom has been staring intently at the screen while I play, I'll catch her trying to follow along or simply watching the amazing graphics or stupid actions I get myself into. This is especially true for three titles; Grand Theft Auto IV (Ironic?), Metal Gear Solid 4 and Call of Duty 4. When I first started playing Call of Duty 4 I would notice my mom watching as I shot through the levels, killing the terrorist themed OpFor and the rouge Spetsnaz. She was intrigued with the game because she said it "felt like watching the news, really. A game that could semi-get what is going on in the world." She never complained about the brutal actions, the blood and the gore, or the vulgarity of it. She simply enjoyed the game.

With GTA IV she became even more intrigued. A little family background; my mother was born and raised in Serbia, which is a small country in the Balkans surrounded by Croatia, Romania, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Albania. I am the first generation of my family to be born in the United States, but I still have a strong love for Serbia and am proud of my heritage. Anyway, the obvious reason my mom was interested in GTA IV (and even let me take the day off from school the day it came out, w00t!) was because Niko Bellic is a Serbian, they speak the Serbian language, and they talk about the Bosnian War of the early 90s. She was interested in it because yet again, it appealed to her. She said it "was really interesting that game developers would pick such a small, almost useless country for the origin of its main character. Especially shocking because it's a very popular game," and so she would watch me play it, almost every day for a week. When I came to the points where I had to choose between PlayBoy X or Dwayne, Derrick McReary or Francis McReary, or whether or not to kill Darko, she was able to follow the story enough that she actively gave me advice on who to kill! It was really interesting, I think, simply because my mom (God Bless her) is a damned idiot sometimes.

And finally, when I was playing MGS4, she was on the edge of her seat during the corridor scene, yelling at my to push the buttons as fast as possible. She thought it was a rather simple game in terms of gameplay, but said "the storyline is so damn complicated, I don't think I'll ever get it,". She was watching it all the way from the beginning to Act 3 (went upstairs for a phone call and came back for Act 5) and was genuinely interested in the final cutscenes and all that. She said what made the game interesting was the character development, and how it felt very cinematic and actually grasped your attention. The day following the night I beat it, she asked me to explain everything to her (to no avail, of course) but we actually bonded (and argued a little) about the Metal Gear storyline and all its controversy and plot twists and characters.

Basically what I'm getting at is that video games, even the most complex ones, can be a bonding experience if your parent's are open minded enough. They don't necessarily have to play them, they can sit back and actively watch you play, and sometimes be generally interested in the material.

At the end of the day, I can say "My mom doesn't think GTA will turn me into a serial killer- rapist like Eddie Low", which is better than what a lot of people my age can say about their moms.

Finally, what kind of experiences with non-gamer friends or family have you guys had? Have you ever bonded simply because of a video game?