Friday, December 28, 2012

Video Game Battles with Tweens

My 11.5 year old got a GameStop gift card for Christmas, so of course he asked me for two days, "When can we go to GameStop?" He had his heart set on the new Assassin's Creed game for his PS3. So we went this afternoon, and of course the first thing I asked was if it was possible to turn off the gore/language/nudity. He did not know. Well...turns out, you can't. So we stepped out of line to discuss.

Let me rephrase that...we stepped out of line so I could let him down gently. I know he was crushed. But he knows where I stand. I am mostly concerned about the f-bombs that the sales associate said were dropped constantly in the game, and this is an issue right now because he is at that age where he needs to control the things that his mouth wants to say out loud. It's not like he never hears the word, but hearing it over and over, combined with the other negative attributes of the game...it's just too much for his age. I know he was really upset, but he did not argue. His eyes turned red and a little watery. I felt so bad, but knew I was doing the right thing.

A sales associate tried to help us find something else to spend the $50, and I almost gave up when my son said, "There's only one other thing I want..." I followed him to another section of the store where he showed me this large box. "But it's $75 and I only have $50." I reminded him of the check he got from his grandmother, and he lit up.

The box he was holding looked more his speed. It had these cute little figures in them and the box was brightly colored, more age appropriate, and even better...an "E" 10+ rating. This means it's appropriate for ages ten and up. PERFECT! I'd never seen the Skylanders Giants before, and the sales associate pointed to all the figures on the wall nearby. Holy cow! I guess on the bright side, he will always know what he wants for birthdays and Christmases if he keeps playing these games...

As we checked out, when we got in the car, and again when we walked in the house, I told my son how proud of him I was. Not only did he pick out what looks like a great game for him, he didn't try to talk me out of my decision. This was a huge turning point for us. For the past month, his behavior has been exceptional, and this was just the icing on the cake. Have we crossed a bridge to adulthood? I don't know...maybe.

Anyway, the set is super cool. One of the figures sits on the light up "Portal of Power" which lights up the figure, which you can bring to life in the video game. We have the PS3 version, but it's available in numerous other platforms. It is available at a better price at Amazon. Learn more about it by clicking the image below. If you have a son who is in that "stage" maybe he will enjoy this as well!

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