Ah, summer and with it comes the sweet embrace of warm days and time to do what you want. For gamers, it's an unabated chance to do what we do best: rekindle online rivalries, level up characters or simply catch up on the plethora of pristine titles that have slipped by during the last few months.
For many teen gamers, all the stars align in summer save one — parents. For some unfathomable reason, parents don't seem to like the idea of their child spending six hours a day gaming. What's pure bliss for us becomes a source of contention for them.
Before a rift forms resulting in arguments replete in leave-me-alones and what's-the-big-deals, let's be a little proactive and devise some strategies to appease parents.
Help around the house
The one you want to hear the least is the most important. It seems somewhat cheap to subconsciously bribe your parents by doing a few chores before sitting down to game up, but it works.
The first place to focus is your gaming space. If it's your room, take 10 minutes and clean it. If it's the living room, tidy it up. It won't take long and that way, when parental units enter to chastise, they will be greeted by a surprisingly clean room.
Another tip for tidying — load times. Each level in a game takes a couple minutes to load up. For gamers who thrive in a minute-a-moment world, this provides the perfect time limit to toss a couple of dishes in the dishwasher, wipe down a counter or tie up the kitchen garbage bag and get it ready to take outside during the next load time.
If parents see that you're actually more productive while gaming, what do you think they will think?
Talk about what you want
I know I've spoken previously about the need for parent-teen communication when it comes to gaming, but if you want something, you have to ask for it. Show you're grown up enough to handle taking responsibility for how you spend your time and be the one to talk about it first.
Otherwise, you're on your parents' timeline and teen gamers know that parents always seem to pick the wrong time to talk. Stop complaining about it, young grasshoppers, and do something about it.
Don't get flippant with the folks. If you start a search for freedom by showing an understanding for your parents' side of things, show you're responsible in keeping some balance when it comes to gaming and be willing to compromise based on what your parents say, you'll get more gaming time.
Get outside
Do I really need to explain this?
You've just spent the last 10 months staying indoors day-in, day-out. Get your vitamin D on and go outside for an hour a day.
Get involved
Nowhere will you find in my column any reported research that says playing video games six hours a day is a healthy thing. Research stipulates that balance is the best way to yoke the benefits of gaming.
So get out there. During the summer, hit the cruising clubhouses in parks around St. Albert, stop by the library for an activity camp or check out www.stalbert.ca for summer programs. For older teens, take a course over the summer from St. Albert Further Education (stalbertfurthered.com) or get a job to help pay for those games you love so much.
If you're really worried about your parents putting the kibosh on your unfettered gaming time, get involved with your family. We're not talking about you taking the whole family for a nature hike through the Red Willow Park trails, skipping together hand-in-hand, eating granola and singing Kumbaya. We're talking an hour or two out of a whole week of gaming. No biggie, but it'll go a long way.
This time of year can be wonderful, filled with the freedom and the beautiful simplicity of doing what you love.
When he's not teaching junior high, St. Albert Catholic High School alumnus Derek Mitchell spends his free time connected to a video game console.
