Mario Game and Watch

I was brought up in a house with a kind, loving dad who encouraged my geeky, nerdy pursuits. He worked at a University, and would often bring home computers, cameras and bits of technology I’d never seen so I could have a play and learn how to use them and make things with them.

I learned a lot about maths, physics, mechanics etc. without realising it because it was so much fun.

He was also a very, very stubborn man. I wasn’t allowed a console for the longest time (they weren’t as educational as a BBC Micro after all) and when I did get an N64 I wasn’t allowed any games that were too violent, like Perfect Dark.

At the time, all of this felt to me like was just a stubborn, grumpy old man, but over the years I’ve come to really love that about him. And now that I’m a dad myself I understand why he was so immovably principled; it’s tough trying to steer young minds but also let them loose and have fun.

I have to admit I’m a little wary about ‘screentime’ for my kids, but recently I did slightly soften my stance.

I got my son a Mario Game and Watch for his fourth birthday. My logic was that this was a quality introduction to videogames; he’d surely play games at somepoint, either at a friend’s or school or somewhere, so why not start with the very best? I’d much rather he play Mario than end up clicking on a poorly made App on a phone.

I liked the idea of a device that only does one thing, and doesn’t promise endless entertainment at the swipe of a screen. It’s a lovely wee thing; beautifully designed with big spongey buttons. It only plays a tiny number of games and can’t connect to the internet. Perfect.

Except of course, it’s now all my son wants to do. When he wakes up in the morning he asks when he’ll get to play Mario, and spends the whole day anticipating that moment.

I have to admit it worried me a little bit how quickly the Game and Watch supplanted his other interests, like his toy cars which don’t get much of a look in nowadays. But then, this is a brand new, exciting thing he has, and it belongs to him alone. It’s actually quite special, isn’t it, your first game?

And then I notice, when he isn’t playing his Game and Watch, he’s running his fingers around the playpark like they’re a wee man… he’s playing mario in his mind. He and his friends shout “wahoo!” and jump around together. He talks avidly and excitedly about goombas and koopas and “the nice mushrooms that make you get bigger.”