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Mommy, you’re 62! Put The Controller Down!

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There seems to be a line that separates video games and anyone older than 50. If the Wii has taught us anything it's that games with simple controls might be the gateway to get older players. Simplicity is something everyone likes, but everyone knows the lack of any good content is essential to an engaging experience. The controls can be simple, but if the content is not engaging, then why keep playing.

I’m proud to say that my mother, who is now 62, is a gamer. No, she is not a casual-gamer, female-gamer, or even an elderly-gamer. She is a gamer in the purist sense of the word. In a weird way video games have helped my mother out of a depression and through some hard times in her life. If it weren’t for games, my mother might have been stuck in a long, deep depression.



After Layton I would introduce her to other similar games like: Hotel Dusk, Puzzle Quest, Picross 3D and most recently, 999: Nine Persons, Nine Hours, Nine Doors. I think it’s pretty obvious to see the theme here: my mother enjoys puzzle games, even though 999 is more of an interactive novel, than game, she is finding that title interesting. While the DS is her main system of choice, she has played one game for the Xbox 360 and that’s Portal. The simple controls, small play areas, and direct objectives are simple enough so anyone can follow, but has the challenging puzzles my mother craves for. It did take my mother a while to get use to the controls and even now she’s not fully comfortable playing the game - she still has to look at the buttons to know what they do, but to my surprise, my mother actually beat the game, but I must stress the fact that it took my mother almost six months to finish the game. She doesn't play it like us, but plays it at a slow pace with many abruptly stops. In other words, take a youtube video of someone playing Portal and slow down the video significantly. Portal ended up being one of her personal favorite games ever, but not every game has been successful. For instance, my mother thought Flower was boring, and really couldn't get into Braid that much. I really don't see her getting into Halo, Call of Duty, or Crysis. The way I see it, her enjoying a few games is better than none.

Recently, because of financial situations, I had to sell my 360, PS3, and Wii. I was stuck with a DS, which I’m perfectly happy with, but I feel like I’m missing out on some great games. During the fall I bought myself a new laptop. It’s an Acer laptop the size of a netbook, and it can play some games pretty well (I’ve played Mass Effect 2 on this laptop). As we all know, Portal 2 was released, and I downloaded it today. So far I’ve gotten the first part done, and I’m amazed at it, and with the power of technology I am able to take my laptop to the living room, hook it up to the TV with an HDMI cable, connect a wired Xbox controller and let my mother have a go. Actually, my mother is playing the game right now as I write this. I’m using my old laptop that constantly freezes on me to write this blog post, but it’s good to know that my mother is finally happy, you see, my mother has not been the same ever since she had the heart attack, even with the joys these puzzle games bring her – she still isn’t the same. The poor women still cries in pain at night, can’t sleep, can't eat, vomits constantly, etc, but it’s good to know that video games can at least bring her a little bit of light in these dark times she’s going through.
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About VenusInFursone of us since 4:39 PM on 02.11.2011

Wow, I have a twitter now. Hmmm, would you like to follow me? Here, take this link. If you follow me; I will make all your dreams come true: Twitter

Here's my Tumblr; it's where I write all my miscellaneous stuff: Tumblr

Do you like films? Do you like my writing? If so, then have a look at my movie blog: Flixist

I'm a student. I'm currently working on my second degree. My past jobs were working at a gym and Urban Outfitters. I love to play guitar, read, listen to music, and watch films. I'm funny and enjoy the arts. I sometimes can ramble on about literature and films. I'm born and breed in New York. I'm easy going and I love fashion. My favorite system is the DS. I constantly shop at Urban Outfitters and Topshop. I really don't know what else to say. Oh yeah, I'm a cool guy!

Movies:
I Stand Alone, Magnolia, There Will Be Blood, Fight Club, Antichrist, Enter The Void, Dogtooth

Music:
Bob Dylan, The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Lhasa De Sela, MC5, Neil Young, Velvet Underground, Radiohead, Manu Chao, The Smiths, Nine Inch Nails

Books:
The Trial, Notes From Underground, Paris Spleen, Crime And Punishment, Junky, Hunger, Nausea, The Stranger

Games:
Super Mario Bros., Lost in Shadow, Braid

Favorite Articles I've written:

Demon's Souls: An Allegory for Life

Fuite

Diary of a Breton: Journey to Solitude

Are You Afraid of the Dark?

Explain Yourself!

Venus, Put on some Fur and let's Talk

Front Page Articles

The Emasculation of a Father

A Small Thank You

I started a blog at this very site to let some of my feelings out. In some way Destructoid was therapy for me. I write about everything from my mother, past relationships, financial situations, friends, hipsters, school, etc. This is done not for sympathy, but as a way to expresses myself. My financial situation is a mess and I have no idea how I’m going to make a living, but writing and reading some of the response from great users have bought a wealth of positiveness to my life; It really doesn’t have to be anything big, but a simple comment of appreciation is enough to fill my heart with joy. It’s strange writing this, but joining this community has been the best thing I've ever done, well, second best thing; getting laid is pretty cool. What I’m trying to say here is thank you. Thank you for this awesome community. Thank you for reading. Thank you for commenting. Thank you for being awesome.

A big thanks goes to falsenipple for the header!

Venus In Furs - Don't know what it is? Well, my freind, click on the link and listen to the song.

The Velvet Underground - Venus In Furs (Original)

DeVotchKa - Venus In Furs (Cover)