Dear Dads,
I’d like to thank you for all that you did for us when we were young. You sat there and played games with us — kicking our asses at Mortal Kombat and Tecmo Bowl. You were still willing to play with us even when we finally learned the controls and were able to beat us with ease. You understood that some of us just weren’t meant to play sports, and so you didn’t force us into something that wasn’t right.
Now, today is that day that’s meant to celebrate you. By now, you’ve already had your fun, opened your gifts, and recieved thanks from your children. So, we here at Destructoid want to give you one more ‘thank you,’ as we’d like to think of ourselves as your extended family. Especially that drunk uncle who makes inappropriate comments at parties.
First, to the older fathers who never really got into games: we’re thankful for the fact that you were willing to let us go on our own merry way and sit in our room and play games for several hours without moving. You’d walk into the room from time to time and you’d at least listen — that was enough encouragement for me, and I really appreciate it. The fact that you’re willing to invest any amount of time in something that you had no interest in, just for me, was something that’s been really touching. Hell, even now, you’ll point out stories in the Wall Street Journal that have to do with video games, in the hopes that we haven’t covered it yet.
Now, thoes dads who do play games: you have no idea how great it is to be able to share those special gaming moments with us. While we were younger, you were there to make sure we didn’t play inappropriate or crappy games. Then, as we grew older, you were there to pose a fair challenge once we developed our motor skills.
Nowadays, we’ve got way too many parents not caring about what their kids play — 10-year-olds play Saints Row and Grand Theft Auto 3 without any monitoring. Dad, you understand things much better than our moms would, and so this thankless burden is left up to you. Please, if you can, monitor what your kids are playing, and even sit in on it just a little. Don’t make snap judgements on the games, though — just because the girls have large breasts doesn’t mean that you should take the game away. Talk with your children, and try to come to compromises about things you find disconcerting.
Thanks for listening, Dads.
