The Power of the Playstation!

I’ve never been one for video games. Let’s just say that I’m ….. uhmm….. shall we say, a little uncoordinated. Ok, I confess, Hubby says I could trip over dust. He calls me “Queen Klutz”. And I do very well to live up to that title, thank you very much!!! But back to the video games…...I never really played them so when Hubby decided to get a Playstation system one cold rainy spring day I was like, yeah, ok, whatever. He thought it’d be a great way to spend a cold, rainy day when the kidlets couldn’t get out to play.

We started with the system and three games: NHL, some racing game that gives me motion sickness and Scooby Doo. The NHL game is VERY difficult to play even thought I kinda understand hockey. The racing game, well, like I said, Puke City. And Scooby Doo is fun but it’s one of those find things and figure out the clues games that was a little too advanced for the kids. So the kidlets didn’t play very much.

Recently, I took the advice of Dear Friend, Laurie, and bought Lego Star Wars. The version we got has games from episodes I, II and III. It is soooo cool!! Everything is “made” from Legos and you can build things or break things. When things blow up or characters get destroyed, little Lego pieces go flying!! One caution: it plays best with two players working together as a team. Scott hasn’t quite grasped the “team concept” much to Daddy’s aggravation. But the kidlets just LOVE it!!!! Scott has gone from an occasional gamer to an incessant gamer. Don’t worry, we DO limit their game time.

The benefit I see is the acquisition of a new and very powerful discipline tool. Scott actually started this himself. One day at preschool, he got sad faces for not wearing his listening ears. I asked him what he thought we needed to do about it and he replied sadly, “I know, I don’t get to play the game tonight”. WOW!!!! I had never used it as a discipline tool before and was shocked that he even suggested it! And believe it or not, he DIDN’T play the game that night. He didn’t even ask to play it. Now, he shows me when I pick him up, “I got two happy faces!!! I get to play the game!!!”

Even this morning as he proceeded to give me flack about going to summer camp, a mention of losing gaming privileges straightened him up Toot Sweet! All Hail the Mighty PS2!!!

So the game system has indeed a mighty power in this household. At least for Scott. Caitlin, Her Majesty, The Drama Queen is a different story all together………….