Andrew finished Guitar Hero 2 on Medium before I finished it on Hard (medium not requiring mastery of hammer-ons and pull-offs as hard does, and plus I get distracted with Kansas and Matthew Sweet). He unlocked the very last encore, Freebird, and the last play mode, Pro Facedown.
It’s 1AM and we both should be in bed, since we have work or school in the morning, but instead, guitar controllers in hand, we’re rocking out to Freebird, matching each other note-for-note and annoying the neighbors.
From SNES Mario Kart’s “Battle Mode” to Sega Saturn’s Radiant Silvergun to the Playstation’s Bushido to Dreamcast’s Soul Calibur… it’s been through video games that I can connect to my son as a friend instead of a parent. It’s not all we do or have done together, but it’s common ground where we can meet as friends and equals.
He’s 19 now, an adult, but still my son, and it’s tough to find ways where I’m not the mom and he’s not the kid. Video games, for us at least, offer that kind of space. When he says it’s time for Guitar Hero, he means it’s time for us to stand up from the computers and do something together.
Rock on.
