This is an update to a post I wrote a few years ago, in which I whined a lot about my husband’s quest to get me to play video games. In the past seven years, I haven’t become a gamer, but I’ve gained more of an understanding why people play video games. All of my kids, some of my friends and, of course, my husband, love games.
My latest book in the Sillicon Valley Murder series, Across the Red Sky, features a gaming protagonist. Detective Daniela Grasso loves unwinding with games while struggling with a tough case.
To pre-order Across the Red Sky: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09DY7TL5Z?ref_=pe_3052080_276849420
For years, my husband had a secret wish.
That he would find the one video game that I would like, that would turn me into a gamer. The man loves video games so much, he can’t understand how someone could not love them.
The more my husband tried to get me to like video games–luring me, cajoling me, bringing home games for me to try–the less I wanted to play them. I dug my heels in even more. Dude, you are trying too hard. I’m never going to be into this.
His conclusion: My wife just hasn’t played the right game.
So he went on a nearly 20-year quest, fighting creepy kobolds, L.A. gangsters and ill-tempered monks to find that One Sacred Game.
The game that would break the evil spell of…me not liking to play video games.
But the good news is, I’ve found a game that I like. It’s a very old game, one we got a few years ago. Now that it’s been released by the game site, GoodOldGames, my husband has downloaded it on my new computer, so it’s super convenient and I’m playing it regularly.
It’s a quirky game of space conquest called Moonbase Commander. It was released in 2002, to such resounding success that it received an award for Best Game of 2002: The Game No One Played. When its maker Atari went bankrupt, the game property was valued low and purchased at auction by game company Rebellion.
Moonbase Commander won me over with its high cheese factor. The graphics are colorful and have a minimalist beauty. Ambiance is created by funky, space lounge-style music. It sounds a lot like what you hear when you push the demo button on a 1990 Casio keyboard.
A narrator moderates the game play in different voices, depending on your team. My favorite narrator voice sounds like the digitally modified voice of a young Japanese woman.
It says things like, “You have removed your opponent’s energy shield! He is exposed! SPANK HIS BOTTOM.”
The goal is to destroy your opponent by eradicating his bases, and when you’ve destroyed the last one–in the words of the narrator–you “have achieved total domination” You can play against another human opponent (I play my youngest child quite a bit). Or you can team up against a host of computer bots, most of whom are ridiculously incompetent.
Playing this game has finally helped me understand a bit of what my husband feels when he plays a video game. It immerses you in a world. Playing it is like a 30-minute escape to a fun, new place. When my youngest and I play a game of Moonbase, we play cooperatively, working together to defeat the AI (or my husband).
When we win, we’ve got stories to tell: Strategies that worked gloriously and caused spectacular explosions. Huge amounts of energy gleaned from putting collectors on every possible energy pond. Bots who ended up blowing themselves up hilariously and unexpectedly, an easy win for us.
At the end of a game, it feels like we’ve accomplished something. It’s the shared satisfaction of watching a good, but not-deep action movie with friends, the kind where you’re repeating the jokes days later. You’ve laughed, you’ve been through an experience together. You’ve made a memory of some kind, even if it’s short-term.
Now I am beginning to understand why my husband spends so much time and money on these things. They’re fun. Great stress relief. Who doesn’t like blowing things up?
But the biggest surprise to me is, they’re pretty social and kind of a bonding thing.
Recommended Viewing with your Gaming SO: Watch the Star Trek: Next Generation episode (from season 5), called “The Game.” A video game with addictive properties is brought onto the ship. Anyone who plays the game falls under its mind control and can’t stop trying to get others addicted to the game. If you have a gaming spouse who has been trying to get you to be interested in video games, this will be hilarious to you. And a great opportunity for discussion. Enjoy, my friends!
