Video games provide different levels of entertainment to different people. Not everyone likes to play video games (looking away innocently), some people would rather watch the game.

My introduction to gaming….

I grew up playing games like Bubble Bobble, Donkey Kong, and Mario and loved every minute of it. I remember waking up one Easter morning when I was 8 years old to find that my parents had bought my siblings and I a Nintendo. I was super excited, even as they made sure to inform us it was a “family” shared system.

I remember not wanting to go to bed while everyone else was still up playing, so I would sneak down the hall and hide outside the doorway and watch them play. I think this is where my love of watching video games started. At that time I enjoyed playing them as much as I enjoyed watching them. I was young with my biggest worry being what I was going to wear to school that day.

As I got older and my free time began to dwindle drastically I realized I didn’t have as much time to play. Also, I realized that I was not interested in some of the shoot them up games that others were. I would sit and watch my boyfriends play and realized that it is kind of like watching a movie what someone is currently controlling.

I still love to play video games (a few of my favorites being Mario party, Animal Crossing and Call of Duty Black Ops Zombies) but I do find that I REALLY enjoy watching the games. One particular game I recently enjoyed watching my husband and son play was “Beyond Two Souls”. It might as well have been a choose your own story type movie for me. I would help them figure out the clues and suggest different things to try. It was good fun.

Through it all I have learned that while I may not always enjoy playing video games I ALWAYS enjoy watching them. Video games can be a source of entertainment for everyone if given a chance. Sometimes you just have to sit back and enjoy the ride.