Wednesday, February 04, 2004

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Gamecube Aids Sibling Bonding! We finally caved, and allowed our children to acquire a video game console last Christmas (a generous present from their grandparents). Our son was the only one who really wanted it, but we were pretty sure his sisters would play some, and thus insisted it was a group present, not just Seth's Gamecube. As predicted, the girls have steadily become more interested in playing as well (though still less avid than Seth). The interesting part is the way the Gamecube has become something of a source of sibling bonding and cooperation. Particulary the Super Smash Brothers Melee game, which involves battling different Pokemon, and other Nintendo characters, to earn credits and purchase trophies (this can all be saved to the memory card, so we are talking about a cooperative effort that spans many days). They all work together to earn credits, and consult on how to spend them. Part of the appeal is also tied into the nature of the Pokemon world, with its several hundred different characters (creatures).  They particularly exult, and call out to their sibs, when a particularly rare or beloved Pokemon appears (the game designers are clever about this, some come out much more often than others). So, even though it is a single-player game, this doesn't pose the usual problem; the non-playing children will often watch and cheer on their sibling. 10:42:17 PM    comment []