Being a sibling can be a challenge and, as you grow older, you can often move further away from the things that connected you in your youth i.e. family holidays, traditions, shared traumas etc. This distance from the ‘ties that bind you’ can start to fade as you gain a chosen family, made up of friends and extended family you want to be around. Sometimes it has you reflecting on what you miss most about those 'simpler times'.
This is all part of the evolution for many people as they grow up, develop their own tastes and influences and forge their own path. In a sense, we are all our genetics, culture, interests, experiences and memories, as well as the media we love but they don't have to define us. At some point in every child’s life, even if they care for their sibling and enjoy hanging with them, they’ll want to be left alone. This is why, as you get older, you find other things to talk about... or don't and drift apart; the everyday humdrum of life getting in the way until you realise it's been an age since you last communicated with each other in meaningful ways. My three siblings and I all have a 3 year gap between us and so we naturally hung around in pairs, me with my older brother for the most part and my younger brother with the youngest, our sister.
There were and are still many shared social parlances and code for us that still exist between us, The Simpsons (first 10 seasons only, of course) informed our Simpsonish, the works of David Eddings informed our love of fantasy, Cowboy Bebop and Haibane Renmei were our formative manga and anime experiences (even though I was more into the scene than my brother), Tintin and Asterix informed our love of bande dessinée and the graphic novel informed our love of the sequential art form.... and then there's videogames. It is our most common topic of discussion whenever we speak. It's a way to bond and connect using the medium as a way to open up about other, more important matters such as family, politics, finances etc.
My daughters are currently 10 and 8 years old and they game with me. The favourite system is the Switch and our most popular games include Mario Kart 8, Alba, Kirby and the Forgotten Kingdom (except the eldritch last boss) and Super Mario 3D World. I play games with them on occasion and it's a great fun bonding session during our daddy-daughters time. However, gaming wise, I have more of a deeper connection with my nephews. My brother's 3 children are 12, 13 and 14 and gaming is central in their world. They tell me a little about Fortnight and Roblox (both of which I have never played) and Minecraft (which I played a little of, thought neat and never touched again). However, they know I have a PS4, PS5 and Switch as well as a lot of the popular retro consoles so we usually chat about the big budget AAA games on the PS4, which is what they have. They've played games well above their age range and I have spoken to my norther about this, donning my primary school teacher mode, but we do have great chats about Assassin's Creed, God of War and Horizon Zero Dawn. They have a lot of banter about their experiences and I share what I've been playing. As I have played and completed a lot of the games they haven't got around to they always ask me for my opinions so I give them summary reviews, often buying it for their birthday or Eid presents.
As an early adopter of videogame consoles, they always get excited when the new generation comes around as they know I'll probably have it and are full of questions. I recently got the youngest nephew a second-hand 2DS on FaceBay and he seems to be loving that, working his way through New Super Mario Bros. 2 and Mario Kart 7. I hope that the bonds my brother and I shared through gaming continue on with the next generation of our families.
LINK- The Rise of Retro Gaming During Covid
LINK: Japan: My Journey to the East
LINK- Blood, Sweat and Pixels- Book Review
LINK- Utopia for Realists- Book Review
LINK- ‘Natives: Race and Class in the Ruins of Empire’ LINK: Elden Ring- Videogames As Art