Ben and Brad are just as much into computer games and such as the next kid. Except for rated M trash, I don’t have a problem with the boys playing computer games, I’ve played some myself. But I am having a real problem with the way that companies like Nintendo work over our kids and their money. I know it’s good business from a corporate standpoint but I hate it. $50-60 or more for a game is crazy, at least in our home where the boys pay for their own. I suppose in households where Mommy and Daddy buy whatever their whimpering little child wants, it’s a different story. Mommy and Daddy are only alive to serve their children, right?
And then to have the boys “beat” the game and want to go on to the next $50 game is mind staggering. Now they’re coming out with games requiring monthly fees online. So along with the outlandish game price, they want more. Then for a company to tweak a system and push it in front of our kid’s noses as the next and newest gotta have thing makes me see red.
There is lots more that this ol’ out-of-touch Dad doesn’t like but I have to go get a second cup of coffee. The walk to the break room wil give me time to cool down.
Mary brought me back to earth though with our occasional movie renting habit. It’s money and entertainment, the two just naturally go together I suppose. Whatever happened to pick up baseball games and the like for entertainment? I supposed it went the way of Super Nintendo.
i disagree with the Nintendo bashing here. they dont have online games like Xbox does or PC. i think your talking about Xbox Live or PC games, thats what costs to play per month.
why are you talking computer games then bringing up Nintendo in the same respect anyway? they dont make PC games.
i enjoy some M-rated games but if you dont like those then you definatly souldnt NOT, “hate " Nintendo” since they are pretty much the only ones who make fun family games at all…
as for the price, yeah games are alot. tell your kids to by them used. i hardly ever pay full price for a game. Also the really good games are ment to be played over and over again not just tossed away after one play through.
Rant long since dissipated now. I feel better. Coffee is good!
Since I’m not up to speed as maybe I should be on what’s what in the electronic gaming industry, I think I used the Nintendo as a generic all-inclusive word, evidently to the dismay of Nintendo fans. I apologize.
The boys do purchase used games but they seem to be only a few dollars less than new games most of the time. They do find a deal once in awhile.
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t consider this a scam, it’s profitable business and obviously good marketing, what any company would love. But I just hate to see the money flying out the door so readily instead of saving for something bigger and better. I’m always urging the boys to consider all the angles and do the research first before making a purchase and they usually do a pretty good job. Brad is 12 years old and has $1200 in the bank. He’s got more money than me. Maybe he can afford to buy a game or two.
Ummm…me too. See this thread. I drink a mug-o-coffee in the morning, then it’s green tea the rest of the day at the office.
My name is Nduku Mgami of the wel respected Natonal Banc of Nigeria and it is my sad duty to infom you of the passing of your beloved uncel in a plain crash May this past…
One of my favorite games was called Gorilla, and came with Windows 3.1. Most people never knew it was there, because you had to load it through the Visual Basic viewer (and know it was there). You and an opponent played gorillas on opposite ends of a city skyline. You lobbed explosive bananas at each other. Really it was a gunnery game, where you typed in an angle and velocity to try to clear the other buildings and hit your opponent. There was also a wind factor to deal with.
Jacquie and I bought a Nintendo Game Cube two Christmases back so we could play Crazy Taxi. That’s all we’ve ever used it for. Somehow, Nintendo has never made us buy any other games. We’ve tried a few, but always went back to Crazy Taxi.
(Side note: Apparently there is a Crazy Taxi II and maybe even III for the Xbox and/or PS2. We picked the wrong console…)
Kudos to Brad for having $1200 saved up by age 12! He’s about a hundred times ahead of me at that age (not adjusting for inflation). I don’t see why Dad needs to feel guilty about buying/not buying more games. The really good games stay good forever.
Thank you for the reminder. I love the Gorilla game. I used to play it at work on slow afternoons. Powerful bananas…would take a whole chuck out of buildings. If I remember, didn’t it have some sound effects, too? We used to love to lob them straight up in the air and blow ourselves up when the bananas came back down on our heads.
yes, Crazy Taxi is easily the best game ever, ever invented. you don’t NEED any other games, forget Halo, you can’t pick people up and drive them around town in the time limit in a pimped out taxi in Halo.
and Crazy Taxi III on X BOX is definitely the best. ever.
If all you wanted to do was play Crazy Taxi you could have bought a Dreamcast for about $20 then the game for only a few dollars more. So yeah, definitely the wrong console.
Nintendo is one of the best things that ever happened to me(equally as important as being born and unicycling).
The fact that you hate Nintendo stabs me in the heard like a kunai(ninja throwing knife).
Teach your boys the joy of classic gaming. Buy budget titles for the Gamecube(NeedforSpeed Underground, Animal Crossing, Super Smash Bros. Melee, Metroid Prime, Zelda:Windwaker).
I personnaly play SNES and N64 games just as much as I play the Gamecube, and find that the gameplay is what makes a game good, not pretty graphics and extraneous features.
If they like computer games, show them the world of Emulators. A free way to download and play console video games on your computer. www.romnation.com is a good place to start.
Like me, if you get hooked on classic gaming you’ll end up going to thrift stores, grage sales, video-game stores, and ebay, just to buy cool new consoles. And it’ll cost WAYYY less than buying newer console games!
The video game market is no longer kid driven so they can charge whatever they like.
If you find that they are continually buying games, you shoudl try something like Hollywood’s Video Game Pass, where you pay $30 a month and get to keep 3 (or maybe it’s 2) games for as long as you want. But it’s only a good optin if you find that you’re already spending more than $30 on buying or renting games.
