[James]

One of the most powerful things I've read online is this illustration of a true story:











To somehow make a thread out of this, what role have games played in your family/social life that elevates them beyond whimsical entertainment? Did you have troublesome cousins you couldn't share a building with unless you were teaming up to beat Streets of Rage? Did you meet your significant other through World of Warcraft? Do you have a story like the man who closes out this two-minute clip?

Let's hear more about the influence that games can have on relationships of all kinds.

[jameswalker85]

I don't have anything like that to tell, but videogames were my "happy place" when I was a kid.

I never had a "bad" childhood, but it certainly wasn't great. Basically, my mother would buy me games and consoles as a way of getting rid of me. My younger brother wasn't a gamer, and so was encouraged to go out and do sports. Any opportunity she had to get rid of us, she capitalised on it; after school clubs, Sunday school, clubs during the school breaks, and even school itself (if we were unwell, we were still forced to go). She'd have sent us to stay with my dad, but he didn't want us either.

So games helped me to escape the feeling of being unwanted. They helped me to stay grounded. If I didn't have them, who knows what I would have done? Which is why it really bugs me when they get a bad rap in the media, getting the blame for violent acts. Taking out my frustration on 50 men around Yokosuka harbour, or someone's car with a few hadoukens certainly prevented me from doing something stupid in the real world.

[Son ALA]

I read about a similar story about a racing game. I cant remember if it was pgr 2 or forzan1 or 2 and it was on the old xbox. Kid and his dad always played that game a long time ago,  dad died and a few months after that, the son was going through their old games and decided to play just to see his dads ghost racing with him on a lot of the courses.  1 time he was about to beat a ghost but then stopped and lost just so the ghost would not be overwritten.

[jameswalker85]

I remember that story. It was a rally game, if I'm not mistaken.

Actually, I just found it.

Well, when i was 4, my dad bought a trusty XBox. you know, the first, ruggedy, blocky one from 2001. we had tons and tons and tons of fun playing all kinds of games together - until he died, when i was just 6. i couldnt touch that console for 10 years. but once i did, i noticed something.

we used to play a racing game, Rally Sports Challenge. actually pretty awesome for the time it came. and once i started meddling around... i found a GHOST.

literaly.

you know, when a time race happens, that the fastest lap so far gets recorded as a ghost driver? yep, you guessed it - his ghost still rolls around the track today. and so i played and played, and played, untill i was almost able to beat the ghost.

until one day i got ahead of it, i surpassed it, and...

i stopped right in front of the finish line, just to ensure i wouldnt delete it.

Bliss.