Brawling ...

Okay, if you have been living under a rock or something, you may not know that the long-awaited Super Smash Bros.' Brawl for the Wii was released Saturday night at midnight. In this house, it was an Event. Gamestops across the country sponsored tournaments. I signed the boys up for the tournament near us last week, and there was only one other name on the list at the local Gamestop. A tournament of three, I thought. This should go quickly.


The boys' friend, Josh, was visiting from No.Va. for a couple of days, and we called to sign him up on Friday. "There's only one slot left," said the Gamestop Guy. That was my first indication of what kind of a wild Brawling night it would be ...


So. The three boys and I pile into the car a little after 8:00 and head for Gamestop. Anticipation is high, and the boys laugh and chatter all the way there. We pull into the parking lot and, happily, find a space right in front of Gamestop. It is 8:30. There is already a crowd inside. Teenagers, mostly, boys, mostly. A parent or two. When the manager announces that a parent must be present to sign for anyone under 18, kids are whipping out cell phones and calling parents to "DROP EVERYTHING AND COME TO GAMESTOP RIGHT NOW RIGHT NOW I SAID!" Josh becomes my third son.

At 9:00, the store closes to get ready for the tournament. Everyone files out, signing up at the door on the way out into the cold. Kids huddle in packs around the door and on the sidewalk. We get into our still-warm car. I walk down a couple of stores to Papa John's to get pizzas and drinks. When I return, the crowd waiting outside has gotten larger. The boys and I eat pizza and wait in the car for an hour until a Gamestop Dude pokes his head out the door to say that they will have to have TWO tournaments and the winners from each will battle each other. At 10:00, the 25 names for the first tournament are called. Happily, all three boys are in this first group.

Inside the store once again, we are told that players do not get to select their character. (Selection at our house has been going on all week, the merits and faults of each character being weighed and discussed.) Now, players will receive a random character. You get Diddi Kong when you wanted Mario? Deal.

Josh's name is called first, along with a guy that looks to be in his 20's. The matches are all one minute long. For a while, it's looking good for Josh, then the other guy pulls ahead and wins. Boo!

(Later we hear this guy, who came in third or something, talking about having played the Japanese version of the game. He and some friends pooled their money and bought the game and set-up for $600 when it came out in Japan . Can you say "cheater"!?! Unfair advantage!)

Anyway, Jesse and Owen each win their first round, then their names are called to play each other! Crisis of Motherhood: Whom do I root for?!?! Owen has the high score, when his character, King Dedede, vaults off the platform and he loses all his points. Well, I ask you? Cheer or jeer? Jesse's last match is against the guy who winds up coming in second. I have been standing with his father and sister as they root him on. I edge away. Jesse is doing well until his character suffers the same fate Owen's did. I try not to sound too happy when I say, "Well, now we can go home."

No. We can't.

Silly, didn't you see where I wrote that the game goes on sale at midnight? It is only 11:00 now. We have only been at Gamestop for two and a half hours! We are kicked out of the store to let the second tournament in. They have been standing outside on the sidewalk, noses pressed against the windows, for an hour. But everyone is amazingly happy and cheerful, talking and laughing. They all are gamers and they love this game. :)

The boys and I return to the car, have a piece of cold pizza, and talk and laugh about the matches, speculate on who's going to win ...

Finally, we are all called in to see the final match -- the guy who beat Jesse and another 20-something in a hoodie. Hoodie guy wins, people laugh and cheer and line up at the counter to wait ten minutes until the clock strikes midnight. FINALLY, the boys and I have the game and gaming guide in hand and we head back home, the boys trying to read the guide by the light of Owen's ipod.

At home, no time is wasted setting up the Wii and game. It is near 1:00 when I wish the guys happy gaming and stumble off to bed. Mark turns over and mumbles something, asking how it went. "It was fun," I say.

I am awakened by Hector-the-fox-red-lab barking and howling his head off. Josh's mom, my friend JoAnne, is standing on our porch, knocking softly. I knew that she was picking Josh up early to get him back to NVa for church. And, oh yeah, we sprang forward an hour last night, didn't we?

The boys have played most of the night. They continue to play most of the day. Jesse gets a 5k run and bike in with Mark, then gets back to Brawling. The game is intricate, with many layers and levels, courses and strategies. The boys inform me that they are 17% of the way through. Only 83% to go!

I think that parents who object to gaming usually haven't played themselves or sat down and watched their kids play; they don't know what is involved in gaming, and think of it as a distraction from the Important Things their kids should be learning. They really see it as "playing", in the "wasting time" sense. Which doesn't make any sense, as we all know that playing is learning. :)

"Anybody who makes a distinction between education and entertainment doesn't know the first thing about either one!" Marshall McLuhan

"Designing good games is one of the hardess tasks a man can do." Carl Jung

For parents seeking to know more about computer and video games, a good place to start is Sandra Dodd's page on the benefits of video games. I'm currently rereading Don't Bother Me, Mom -- I'm Learning! How Computer and Video Games Are Preparing Your Kids For 21st Century Success -- and How You Can Help!"


I'm so glad that I got to take the boys to the tournament, and it was one of the times in our lives that I will remember spending with them as they pursued their passionate interests. When I consider that, three-and-a-half hours at Gamestop just doesn't seem like a very long time.