I often think about how different I would be if I never discovered
video games. I imagine I would be more into things like sports or some
less geeky hobbies. I was five years old when I started to have interest in
video games. My dad would show me some games on our Playstation
and I was so excited about these games he would play. I fell in love with
games like Crash Bandicoot and Spyro, then that love evolved for more
obscure games my dad loved, like Apocalypse. Growing up, gaming
with my dad was one of my favorite things. I loved to play outside or
with my toys but I always looked forward to my dad getting off work so
I could watch him play a new game we had just bought. I think it is safe
to say that my dad is the reason I love video games.
Growing up, there have been a few games that Dad and I would
play together and I always look back at these games and why they will
always be my favorites. One purpose of this article is to highlight these
games and the impact they had on my childhood and my relationship
with my dad. The first game I remember playing with Dad was Metal
Gear Solid: VR Missions. This game was so fun to me, of course I didn’t
know anything about the Metal Gear story but the game was still my
first entry into gaming. We would take turns during each mission and
just try to beat all the levels. This would only escalate when my dad and
I bought Metal Gear Solid 3:Snake Eater.
MGS 3 was the game that revolutionized how I saw gaming. There
was so much to do in the game and the story felt perfect to me. I will
never forgot Dad and I learning the secret way to beat “The End.” This
boss was this old sniper who was super difficult to take out, but if you
set the date on your PS2 to a future date, the next time you loaded the
game and attempted the boss fight, “The End” would be dead of old age.
I was amazed at this and I won’t forgot Dad’s reaction.
As I got older, I was able to play more mature games with dad.
These were typically horror games like Resident Evil or The Suffering.
The big game that we devoted a lot of time too was Dead Space. This
game had us on edge and terrified the whole way through. I still love this
game and would probably rank it in my top ten. I think this would be the
most fun Dad and I would have with games. Us laughing at each other
for getting scared or getting excited for beating a hard section will
always be a fond memory for me. As I got older, I spent more time
playing games myself or playing FPS games like Call of Duty. I really
just wanted to play by myself and wouldn’t want to try other games with
Dad. Thankfully, Dad started playing games with my little brother, Jack.
When I was in college, I got to see the other side of Dad bonding with
his kid by playing games. I would see Jack and Dad play so many co-op
games and just have fun together. Eventually, I would play party games
with them but they had their own games they would only play with each
other.
In 2020, my dad passed away. I remember coming home from his
funeral and sitting at my desk. At this time, I was getting ready to
graduate college and was off from work. While I was sitting there, my
brother came to me and asked to play a game to keep occupied. The
game we played was the zombie mode in Call of Duty. Dad loved
playing it with us and it was something he always wanted to play. We
never made it far in the rounds but we always had a blast doing it. Sitting
there and playing it with Jack brought back a happiness I hadn’t felt all
week since his passing.
When I think about these memories with Dad, I realize it wasn’t
about just games. I bonded with Dad and he was honestly one of my best
friends. I looked forward to spending this time with him and will always
look forward to playing any new Resident Evil or Metal Gear game just
because these games were his favorites. I thank God for the
opportunities to share these moments with my dad, I thank my dad for
making me a gamer.