The big one and I are on our own tonight. We just got back from an appointment, as the little one and dad head off to her activity. I briefly hear them mention that they played some Mario Kart while we were gone. So I thought, it’s spring break, and they did it, so let’s play some ourselves.
I suggest Tetris. It’s a newerish version for the Wii, but it’s basically the same as old school Nintendo. Only exception is that you play head to head (could you play head to head in the original?? I can’t remember) and when you clear lines, you send junk over to the other player. Otherwise, the game play is the same.
The big one, never having played Tetris before, suggests Tricky Towers instead. It’s a game with similar game play, but things can tip over if they don’t fit together perfectly or if you don’t give it a good enough base. I HATE it. There’s nothing better than thinking you’re about to win and then the whole damn thing crashes into the sea below and you have to start over. Fun stuff. But I want to play with him. This doesn’t happen often. So I go with it. With the stipulation that we will play Tetris later.
We play Tricky Towers. And my tower falls. I build it back up. And my tower falls. I get almost to the top, finish line to win. And my tower falls. Over and over again again, my tower falls, until I give up that round. He wins and wants to play another round. I reluctantly agree. I do enjoy playing with him JUST NOT THIS GAME, and my brain is revolting into an anxious blob after so much frustration from this infuriating game! Thankfully, after a few more rounds, he finally asks, “Do you want to play Tetris now?” I scream inside my head YEEEEEESSSSSS!!!!! But only out loud, say, “Sure.”
And now it’s on. Everyone in the house is better than me at pretty much every video game there is (save a few minigames in Wii Party and Mario Party). But Tetris is MY GAME. I am the QUEEN. And I’m not just a little better. I CRUSH them. Even my husband who is always better at me than everything This game is mine. I have been known to beat my husband 20 games to zero in a night. He doesn’t stand a chance against me. It’s so nice to have at least one game like this!
So the big one and I start. And I see that this will end quickly. He doesn’t have a great starting strategy. He doesn’t know when to save sticks and when to use them. He hasn’t mastered flipping the shapes at warp speed to get them the right shape in the right place JUST at the right time. He doesn’t see the whole board in ‘t’s’ and 3 flat spots, and 2 flat spots, and ‘L’s’ and squares. It’s like another language, and he hasn’t learned it yet. But I am fluent.
After his swift defeat, I worried that he would get mad and no want to play anymore, but he only utters, “Again.” And so we go again. And again. And again. And I keep crushing him and just keeps coming back for more. And it’s so fun for so many reasons. I’m getting quality, fun time with my big one who doesn’t often want to play with us much these days. He’s laughing and smiling, which has been very lacking these days. It also brings back nostalgia and memories of my brother, dad, and I playing the original tetris with each other for hours and hours until our eyes cross, dry out, and fall out and roll across the carpet (this happens now too but not quite as bad, as the graphics dint lend themselves quite as badly to this dreadful side)
And the last reason it’s so fun is that I’M WINNING!!! I’m beating my son who thinks he’s the best at everything. There’s a huge amount of power in this, lol.
We play and play and play and play. Laughing. Talking. Smiling. Talking a little trash. I help him out here and there, but mostly I just pulverize him. But all in good fun 🙂
I will always cherish this first time of playing Tetris with my son. I look forward to many more games to come. (Since this first game, we’ve played several more times already, also adding in my daughter).