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My parents played a few games with me growing up. They got into Tetris when I was very young, and they always played pinochle when older family members visited. The occasional round of Scattegories or Bananagrams took place, but really, we weren't a particular game-focused household. I always wanted my parents to play Magic or Warcraft II with me, but they just couldn't feign the interest.
It's not going to be that way for my son. At seven months old, I'm already giving him Magic cards to chew on, and so far, it appears he's a little red mage:
My biggest fear is that as I transition from a Young to an Old, I will lose interest in games. Really, though, this seems pretty unlikely, considering I've been gaming for literally my entire life. If anything, the more likely thing is that my son rebels against me by declaring his hatred of games: "It's not a phase, Dad! This is who I am now!"
Anyway, Brainstorm Brewery writer Douglas Johnson shared a nice story on Reddit today about meeting up with some gamer parents looking to beat their 14-year-old at Magic. It's a pretty funny and inspiring story for those of us with families (or with the intention of having families someday). You should check it out, and while you're at it, check out DJ's archives on BSB. He's always good for learning something new, and I actually referenced one of his articles today to find a good deal on supplies.
Questions I have for you all:
- Did your parents play games with you as a kid? Which ones? Did they introduce you or did you introduce them?
- For the parents out there, what are some of the first games you introduced to your kids? When did you start with MTG?
Personally, I'm looking forward to Mice and Mystics in three or four years. I've heard good things about that being enjoyable for hardcore gamers while also great to introduce kids to the hobby. Let me know your experiences below!
My daughter is 6 and I haven’t played Magic with her yet, but we’ve played some Dominion and Ruse & Bruise. The strategy of Dominion is lost on her, but she knows the game mechanics well enough to take care of her part of the game without help…which is really all I’d be looking for when goldfishing 😉
My kids see my gaming closet and are always asking to play new games. So far we’ve played carcassone, settlers of Katan, munchkin, blockus, Star Wars xwing, small world, and I’ll be teaching them pokemon and maybe magic later this year. They’re 6 (twin boys) and they love all of it. It’s great! Good luck with yours in a couple years.
I started with ours when my eldest was around 9 or 10 I think. A game we called “the imaginary game” which was effectively D&D with simpler mechanics.
Magic a bit later, but we now do fnm together. Kids are now 10, 12 and 14.
My dad used to be in a ‘klaverjas’ club when he was young (I’m not aware of it being known by an English name) and we’ve been playing that as long as I can remember at home. He even tried Magic when my brother and I started, but it didn’t seem to be his kind of game. My parents are still willing to try new games from time to time just as long as there aren’t a lot of rules.
My parent’s (both mom and dad) introduced me to Magic in 1994 with Revised. They had been playing at friends’ houses since since beta and unlimited instead of the usual Canasta at the time. They had fun slinging spells and made it into a twice a month adventure. One person always bought all the cards for the group, 1 starter deck and 3 boosters per person, always opening new cards to play every time. It was always a team game (pre-2HG) where the teammates sat across from each other and alternated, similar to most team card games I would just sit there and watch. I got my first cards while in the hospital. Best hospital day ever. Shivan Dragon (most expensive at the time…$20!!!) and a CLONE (hell’s yeah!) from the starter deck! To this day, my dad and I attend every Two-Headed Giant pre-release we can find… And we have team shirts, provided by my mom.
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This is an awesome story. Thanks for sharing!