Now as you know, I’ve always been a lover of playing games, be it computer or console games, but it has always been a pity that my partners don’t necessarily share this particular interest with me. It’s not a train smash of course, but it would have been nice.
However, I am happy to report that at least two of my current family members are now avid gamers – and possible a third one as well! ;)
The first two to whom I refer are none other than Coco and Olympus, who have now discovered that they are avid fans of me playing games on the TV, especially when I sit cross-legged on the floor as I usually do. It turns out that by sitting cross-legged, you inadvertently create the perfect little hollow nesting spot, the perfect place for a kitten to sit in, sleep in or chew a controller cable from. So it doesn’t matter when or where I decide to plug the old PlayStation 2 into the TV, both the buggers are soon to find me and make me their perfect resting spot of choice!
Of course, sometimes the hollow is a little too low down for them to properly watch the TV, which explains why I also often find the little furry buggers sleeping on my shoulders as I try hard not to strain my neck while playing games and simultaneously providing them with a stable platform in case they should fall and decide to break their descent with those bloody sharp little claws of theirs!
As it was, Sunday morning’s gaming session gave Chantelle a bit of a fright when she walked into the lounge and thought I had grown a big bushy beard overnight! The two of them can be such a pain in the neck at times! :)
And as to the third possible gamer in the family, I am of course referring to none other than C, who is now slowly but surely becoming obsessed with beating me fair and square at Burnout: Takedown. Having previously shunned other titles for appearing too complex for her to play, it would seem that C is okay with the classic car racing game, Tekken-like fighters or just a simple 2D adventure game (which would explain why she quite enjoyed playing The Red Star the other evening), a fact that I try my hardest to exploit and get her to sit down more often next to me, controller firmly in hand.
And while she is usually not so aggressive or competitive in real life competition, it would seem that there is just something about gaming that brings out the competitive spirit within her, making for some tense racing battles and some alarmingly big swear words to dodge should things not quite go her way! Of course, I won’t ever cheapen the experience for her by losing on purpose, but I have got to admit, I’ve been mightily impressed with the one or two victories that she has scored over me, the veteran gamer, in the last while.
Who knows, if I keep beating her the majority of the time then she might just keep playing against me in order to get those valued and elusive wins – an outcome that I know I’ll enjoy! :)
(Though I must admit to being a bit pleased that she isn’t quite as competitive as Andrea is. Apparently Andrea wakes up in the middle of the night to practice away on their Xbox 360 while Albert blissfully sleeps on, unaware of the frantic practicing that’s taking place right there in their living room!)