Father-Daughter Bonding

For Ainsley's fifth birthday I bought a Playstation 2 (PS2), which was a good decision. Let me explain...

Ainsley always liked playing video games, but every time she felt her character was threatened she'd scream "daddy" and throw the controller my directiton. This would result in her watching me play the game for the next three hours while she shouted commands, thereby providing the foundation for hours of quality time between us. One day the batteries wore out in our video games, which created an emptiness in our relationship.

About five months later I wandered into an electronics store. There on the shelf was a PS2 that came fully loaded with a chip that allowed it to play pirated games. Imagine my pleasure. (The chip/pirated game feature is key in this story because it's impossible to find legitimate games, DVDs, or CDs in Albania. Since the average Albanian's salary is around $350 per month, there's no way they're spending 1/4th of that on some kid's games--this naturally drives the demand for pirated wares.)

I succumbed and bought the PS2, and I've never been prouder of a purchase. This action has resulted in hours and hours and hours of bonding time for Ainsley and me, and considering how much Ollie likes cars--coupled with how many racing games are manufactured--I've no question that the same bonding experience will be repeated with him. That's how much I love my kids.

Of course this fairy tale has a down side. All of these wares are formatted for Europe, which means it'll take a fair amount of rigging to make it work in the States. What's more, I won't be able to get new games for it in the States as it only plays European formatted and pirated games, neither of which are available in the Land of the Free--not to mention it would be illegal to buy them. It's not illegal in Albania as there are no copyright laws. (Before all of you write to request PS2 games be sent your way, they won't work on your machine...just trust me)

Before I close this entry, a quick nod to my parents. I bought the original NES when I was 11. The few games I owned I played for hours and hours on end, sometimes not shutting them off while I slept for fear of losing my progress. Although it ultimately contributed to my juvenile obesity, my parents rarely told me to quit playing and go do something more prouctive (I guess it was mainly my mom that didn't nag me...my dad was conveniently at work for most of those hours and hours.) This lack of nagging instilled a love for video games in me that will be passed down for generations. Way to foster tradition mom and dad.